The Earth and the Sea
by esthete-of-the-world
Summary: Kirigakure captures Kakashi instead of Rin, leaving him the Jinchuuriki of the Three-tailed beast. Kakashi finds salvation in his supposed-dead friend Obito, but their reunion comes at a price neither of them were prepared to pay. With the turtle demon sealed defectively inside of him, Kakashi and Obito must master their new abilities before it's too late. AU, Kakashi/Obito.
1. Drawn to the Blood

This is one of those "what ifs" that got a little out of hand. As per usual things have to go really badly for these boys before they get any better.

Author: esthete-of-the-world

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**Chapter 1: Drawn to the Blood**

The moment he gained consciousness, Kakashi knew something was wrong. Terribly wrong. He could feel it, hot and acrid, pounding from his chest through his whole body. What was it, poison? Was he hurt? Where the hell even was he? Cracking an eye open he sat up. The room was small and empty with a earthen walls lit by a single candle; Kakashi had been collapsed on the ground. As he breathed the pain in his chest dulled and slowly memories returned to his muddled mind.

He'd been on a mission with Rin and a pair Chunnin. They'd split off from the other two to restock at a nearby base when Kiri had attacked. It had been all he could do just to distract them until Rin escaped. Which meant- fuck. He was alive, which meant Kiri caught him. Did they get Rin too? She should have been able to get away but Kakashi wasn't about to take any chances. Not with Rin.

Hauling himself shakily off the ground he listened at the heavy metal (locked) door for any indication of where he was. From the rough stone walls and the smell he was underground. A few more memories came back to him: a long tunnel, a cavernous room shaking with an unearthly roar, a feeling like being stabbed through the heart... Shit, no, just concentrate on getting out of here. He needed to escape and make sure Rin was safe. And besides that Kakashi wasn't about to be interrogated or used as some bargaining chip with Minato-sensei, or whatever Kiri had planned.

Before he could plan his escape any further, he heard a sound and tensed. A section of the earthen ceiling began to crumble. Though obviously all his weapons were gone Kakashi was prepared to fight. But no enemy nin appeared. Instead-

"Pakkun!" Kakashi said hoarsely. His throat was dry as hell, probably from whatever they'd drugged him with.

The little dog shook dust off his coat. "Took us long enough to find you, idiot."

"Us?" Out of the hole in the ceiling dropped Urushi, panting happily, followed by Rin, dirty and ragged but all in one piece.

"Rin too? What are you doing here?" He was relieved she had gotten away, but coming back for him ruined the whole point.

She put her hands on her hips. "Rescuing you, duh. I'm not _always_ the damsel in distress you know."

"Did you bring back up at least?"

"There wasn't any time. I've just the dogs you left with me. They tracked your scent from the surface."

Pakkun snorted. "Not as easy as it sounds with all the Kiri people around, and your smell is off."

"Yeah, I think they drugged me. I'm fine Rin." He shooed the medic away from her checking him over. "Can we just get out of-"

A nearby explosion shook the walls. Rin looked up sharply.

"That's our cue. I set some distractions to keep them busy."

Rin helped him up the hole; he wasn't prideful enough to refuse, or stupid enough to not realize that whatever Kiri had given him, it was still in his system. He told himself it was just some tranquilizer, but it just felt… wrong. The skin over his heart itched and he rubbed it absently. It would be alright once they got away. Whatever Kiri had done to him, Rin could fix it.

"Kakashi, come on! We have to get out of here!" Rin grabbed his hand and tugged him through the sparse forest glowing in late afternoon sunlight. He stumbled once or twice, not used to being led around like this. Where even were they again? His brain felt scattered and there was a rushing like water in his ears.

Rin glanced back at him. "There's a Konoha base not too far from here, alright Kakashi? How are you feeling?"

"Right. Okay. I'm fine," he said, even though his gut was telling him that he was most definitely _not_ fine. Kakashi just tried to get his head together and think. It was his job to get them out of here, not Rin's. _He_ was the Jonin and _he_ was the one who'd promised Obito.

"There he is!" A voice not far behind them chilled his blood. They'd found them already? Rin hurled kunai trailing explosion tags behind them.

"Pakkun! Urushi! Go find reinforcements!" Kakashi barked, taking a kunai from Rin. If they could just get some backup, maybe they could make it out of here. The dogs veered away from them, and almost immediately a hail of weapons rained down on them. They disappeared in puffs of smoke before anything connected.

Three masked Kiri ANBU were behind them and another two were coming in from the left.

"Go right!" said Rin, an edge of panic in her voice.

"The sea's that way. We'll never get away if they trap us on the water!"

"Do we have a _choice?_"

They really didn't. Just barely they were able to dodge a water jutsu from the left. Rin was practically dragging him along. Kakashi's genius mind worked furiously through the haze surrounding it, trying to find a way out of this mess. He knew they were being corralled against the shoreline to trap them against more shinobi on the sea, though a part of him welcomed being close to the water… but Kiri knew more water jutsu than he did, water was a _bad_ thing! Soon the trees cleared out and they found themselves on a rocky outcrop.

A dozen more Kiri shinobi were waiting ahead. Dread settled in Kakashi's mind as they skidded to a halt. How could they escape? How could he get Rin to safety? Pulling his hand from Rin's he gripped his single kunai.

"I'll hold them off, Rin. Try and escape into the forest and make it to that base. They shouldn't follow you so far into-"

"No! I'm not leaving you again, Kakashi!" Her gaze was stern, though tears glimmered in her eyes.

"It's the only way to get you out of here!"

"I said no! We can figure something out."

Kiri had them surrounded in seconds. There had to be twenty or thirty and almost all were ANBU. Why the hell were there so _many_ for just the two of them_?_ And why hadn't they attacked yet? Kakashi's panic rose, and with it, the pain in his chest. He didn't let it show.

"Take the boy quickly and quietly!" a Kiri ANBU barked. "Do _not_ kill him!"

Why were they being so careful about his life? Did they think he was _that_ valuable a hostage? What was going on?

Kakashi breathed in. "Rin, we'll have to-"

**Damn these humans! Kill them all!**

"-kill the humans. I mean we have to fight. We'll have to fight our way out. I'll try to make an opening for you. They sound like they won't kill me. Just run for it." Kakashi exposed his Sharingan and stood in front of her, kunai at the ready.

"I didn't come all this way for nothing!"

"There's too many, Rin. You know that."

"We can figure something out! I'm not leaving you to be killed or worse, Kakashi. You came back for me at Kannabi, I'm not leaving you now!"

"That doesn't matter! I told Obito I'd protect you. I'm going to keep that promise."

**Pathetic humans! I'll kill you all for disturbing me!**

"What was that?" Kakashi looked around for the source of the booming voice.

"What was what? We don't have time for this!" Rin blocked a shuriken. The Kiri shinobi were approaching cautiously, too cautiously for just a Chuunin and poorly-armed Jonin.

"Listen. Kakashi." Rin stepped up to his side and smiled weakly, tears in her eyes. The expression wrenched at his chest more than his burning skin did. "Whatever you promised Obito… we're teammates. We don't leave anyone behind. He's the one that said that, right?"

"Rin… but you..." A shinobi darted in from the side, and Kakashi moved to counter. His Sharingan let him see the man's attacks, but there was something else. A shakey, hot energy bubbled in his veins, filling his head with the sound of waterfalls. Dodging, he punched the Kiri-nin hard enough to send him flying into the crowd.

What? Kakashi wasn't strong enough to do that. This was more than just adrenaline or panic.

"Rin, there's something wrong… ah!" Heat like a knife slid into his skull. He clutched at his head, trying to stay on guard but suddenly it was all he could do to stay standing. The blood in his veins boiled.

"Kakashi! What is it?" She grabbed his shoulder to keep him upright.

"No! Stay away!" Wrenching from her grip he backed away, trying to hold his head and his chest at the same time. Even the Kiri-nin were pushed from his mind as he tried to get ahold of himself.

"In my head it's- Rin I can't… help me!" Two more shinobi took advantage and attacked. This time he barely had to think; his attacks were instinctual, calling on the hot power that made him feel at once trembling and very still. With a single, wild blow each he hurled them away. Fatigue and fear and pain seared away like water on a hot pan. He felt so _powerful,_ so _alive_. Food pills and adrenaline were nothing compared to this. The sight of his Sharingan blurred out but he barely noticed. Kakashi dropped the flimsy kunai and lowered into a crouch that suddenly felt much more natural.

**I'll kill them all for sealing me!**

What was that voice?

**Smash them to bits!**

He had to protect Rin.

**Kill them, you runt!**

A green haze filled his vision. Kill them and protect Rin.

**They'll pay for this.**

This time, he attacked first. He launched himself at the nearest thing that moved, batting them away like nothing. A water technique rained down from above. Instinctively he knew it wouldn't hurt him.

**Destroy them!**

Protect Rin!

Kakashi watched, distantly, as green-tinted energy dripped over his hands like slime and sizzled on the ground. Nothing within him thought to fight it. He needed to protect Rin and he needed to kill them for sealing him, all the humans needed to **die!**

It was almost too easy. They attacked with jutsu and weapons that might as well have been puffs of wind against his chakra shell. Anyone idiotic to get close he swatted with his tail, or burned with acid, or crushed with his chakra that could stretch out like vines. Nothing could hurt him. After some amount of time the humans hung back at a distance, indecisive.

**Cowards!**

He roared in anger, a screeching, guttural sound that shook the air. Was that really him? Kakashi wasn't sure. It felt like he was in a dream, watching from outside his body. All he knew were vague pictures of the scene around him, the vibration of crushing bones, and the command to protect Rin and **kill the humans** and protect her and **kill her too, end them all for what they did-**

"RIN!"

That voice. The shock of it was enough to make him pause. Why was that voice so important? Who… Kakashi rounded on the intruder, growling.

Obito.

But he was… Obito was an important person, but he was dead. Wasn't he? Kakashi couldn't remember.

"Rin! I'm coming!"

The person called Obito fought through the crowd. He used wood to attack. Kakashi's tail lashed indecisively. Obito was only getting closer to him and the person who he was supposed to protect, Rin.

**Fight! Kill them or they'll kill you!**

The others kept their distance. It was only him and the two people who he should not attack, or should, he didn't _know anymore-_

"Is that... Kakashi! Snap out of it! What happened? It's me, Obito! And Rin!"

Obito took a step toward him. That was a mistake. Kakashi grabbed at Obito's torso with his acidic green tail, burning through flesh. Wood spiked out of the other boy's body and Kakashi dropped him. Maybe he should be cautious dealing with this one.

"Oh no, Guruguru! Yikes, calm down Kakashi! It's just me!" Obito's flesh fell off him, no, it was just a shell, and he scrambled out of the sizzling white body.

"Obito, how? You're alive?!" Rin exclaimed, embracing him. Kakashi hesitated, unsure of how to react.

"Yeah, long story… I'm so glad to see you Rin. What happened to Kakashi? What is with his chakra? And his eyes?"

Rin didn't let go of Obito's pale arm. "I don't know. Kiri caught him and did something. Right after I broke him out he suddenly lost it. Obito, we have to get him out of here!"

"I know. Kakashi, you need to calm down." That was directed at him. Fuck that. His tail whipped at the ground in anger but didn't attack.

Obito grinned at him tentatively, palms facing him in a gesture of peace. "It's alright. I'm here now! We can beat these Kiri bastards together and go home!"

Home. What was home again?

**I can't go home! Make them pay!**

He growled again, this time not even recognizing the inhumanness of it.

"Hey hey, It's alright Kakashi, it will be-"

**It won't be alright! They took my home from me!**

The humans had to pay. All of them. His tail shot out.

"NO, OBITO!" Something moved into the attack.

His tail punched through Rin like paper. She hung suspended by the chakra for long seconds.

"No… not Obito… not… again..." Her words were barely a whisper.

Something cold seized his heart, freezing over the burning power. No. The tail turned to steam and she slumped to the earth. No.

Rin was dead.

But he was supposed to… He didn't protect her. He had… he had…

What had he done?

"Rin!" The anguish in Obito's voice snapped the rest of the haze away. He held Rin in his arms. The green cloak receded. It couldn't be, it happened too fast, he didn't mean to…

He killed Rin.

Killed her. Kakashi dropped down to his knees, left eye burning with pain he barely felt.

Obito lowered her to the ground and stood up. For a moment Kakashi hoped he would kill him, let him follow after Rin. But Obito walked right past him.

Obito's lowered voice, "I'll kill them," was the last thing he heard, and Rin's body the last thing he saw, before Kakashi finally collapsed.

The greenish mist was thick and Kakashi moved through it like water. Nothing in particular was guiding his drifting but he had to be going somewhere; though to where he wasn't sure.

It wasn't long before a shape appeared and clarified in the mist; a towering wall, magnificent and almost beautiful, woven of curving silver cables stretched out in all directions. Kakashi couldn't resist the impulse to touch the bars. The cold burned his fingers and he flinched back.

A gargantuan roar blasted his ears and blew the mist away. On the other side of the woven silver cage, half-submerged in sloshing water, crouched the massive demon. Demon was the only word he had for it. It was covered in a scaly green shell, red muscle showing in the gaps and three tails raised threateningly behind it. One closed and blood red eye with a clouded yellow iris bore down on him.

**You brat! **Roared the monster.

"What is this? Where is this?" Kakashi demanded.

**If you can't figure out that much, you really don't deserve to be my vessel, pest.** It growled.

Kakashi narrowed his eye. Was it a Genjutsu? It didn't seem like it. This place didn't feel real… almost as if it was-

"We're in my mind," he said suddenly. He had no idea how he knew that so certainly. "Which means that… you're in my mind also."

**Not for long, brat! I'm getting out of here, and when I do all you damn humans will ****_pay!_**

The demon swung its massive paw at the cage, and to Kakashi's horror the bars groaned and bent. They were too narrow, too thinly spread, he realized, to withstand the demon's attacks. In fact the closer he looked the more he noticed how flimsy and clumsy the thing was, with flaws and weak spots all over. All the roughly woven bars met like a web in the center where a chunk of dull scratched metal held it all together. It was etched clumsily with a curling symbol like three waves crashing towards each other.

The cage, the only thing separating him and the monster, was too weak to hold. That's the last thought he had before Kakashi was blasted with an acidic mist and woke, gasping, in the real world.

He barely had time to draw breath before he was choking, pulling his mask down to cough up sour-smelling water. Gasping, he cast around for answers. What had happened? All around him bodies lay scattered. Pools of bloody water and wooden growths marred the landscape and the stench of carnage and salt saturated the air. The fight- now he remembered. Pain, the strange chakra, killing Kiri-nin, Obito and Rin… Rin!

"Kakashi! You're awake." Kakashi tugged his mask on automatically. It was really him. It was Obito. The hair was longer, the smell was off and his face was scarred, but the voice was the same. His mind tried telling him that Obito was dead, that it was just another illusion, but somehow… he knew this was real.

Rin, lying murdered in Obito's arms, was also real.

"Obito, I… you're alive. How? What happened to all the Kiri?"

"Long story. It doesn't matter. I killed them all." His friend's words were hollow. Dead.

"But Rin…" Kakashi trailed off. "I killed her, didn't I?" He couldn't bring himself to look at her body.

Obito didn't answer for a moment. He brushed hair gently out of her face.

"She died protecting me. It's my fault too. I couldn't do anything. Kakashi... what is this place? Are we in hell?"

Kakashi half-crawled over and and skimmed Rin's cold fingers almost as if to make sure this was real. The ragged hole in her chest had nearly dried, ringed with cloth burned with acid.

"No. I don't believe in hell. If it was real hell would be on Earth. Maybe some people just have to suffer to balance all the good things in the world. Karma or something like that. But…" Kakashi looked up, away from Rin's body. The sun was starting to set. "You're here, Obito. You're alive. Miracles like that don't happen in hell."

"I… hey, are you alright?"

Kakashi was gripping his chest. It was burning again, "burning" being a meager term for the feeling.

"The demon."

"Demon? You mean that chakra..."

"Yeah. That power was the demon. I saw it. It's in me. " He said it like a death sentence. Really, it was.

"What do you mean, in you?"

Kakashi coughed again, suddenly feeling feverish. Without letting himself hesitate, he pulled up the hem of his shirt over the hot painful spot on his chest. Even though he expected something his eye still widened at the mark.

It was red, bleeding slightly and surrounded by purple bruising. Interwoven lines ringed the mark, and in the center was a symbol like three waves crashing inwards: the same mark that was on the lock.

"It's a seal," Kakashi said with a deadpan. His head was burning but his insides were cold with the realization of what this meant. What needed to happen.

"A seal?" Echoed Obito, "That demon is sealed… _inside of_ _you?_"

"Yes. Not even well either. I saw it, the seal, inside of my mind- it's weak. It won't hold forever. We don't have much time."

Obito set Rin's body down, gently. "Much time to what? Minato-sensei and Kushina-san know sealing, they could fix it. You'll be okay." There was an edge of fear to his voice.

"No. I can't go back to the village under any circumstances. I'm too dangerous, I'll just kill people like I killed Rin."

"Kakashi... what are you talking about?" Obito asked slowly. Kakashi pressed on.

"Obito, you need to kill me. Now."

The Uchiha's single eye widened. "What...? No! What are you talking about?"

"I can't control it. The demon is going to go wild again, and it _will_ kill. If you're really the real Obito, if you really are alive… then you have to do this for me. You have to take care of me before that happens."

"You… You!" Obito grabbed him by the collar and hauled him to his feet. Kakashi didn't resist.

"You idiot! You dumbass!" Tears dripped down from Obito's one eye, twisting at Kakashi's chest. It didn't matter. He had to make him see that this was the only way.

He pushed Obito away from him. "I'll _kill _people Obito. This is the only-" he coughed again, tasting more stagnant water dribble into his mouth. It was getting more difficult to stay standing. "-the only way. I'm weak right now, so is the demon I think. If you could kill all those Kiri-nin then you can handle this. Kill me for Rin, or for the village, or revenge… just do it now, before it kills anyone else! Please"

Snatching Obito's hand, he pushed it on his throat. A stab of fear shot through his stomach but he tried to ignore it. This was best. To die protecting his village, at the hands of his friend… there were worse ways to go.

But Obito didn't kill him. Instead he punched him in the jaw.

"BAKAKASHI! You're telling me to kill you… for the village? For _Rin_? You think this is what she'd want? I lost her, you think I want to lose you too? I can't do that! Not you too!" He sobbed, tears mixing with the blood surrounding his eye.

"I killed her. You saw. I'm too dangerous now. Please."

"No! You didn't kill her! The… the demon did, and I am _not_ letting it kill _another_ of my friends!"

"Obito, you..." Kakashi tried to lift himself up and do the job himself, but fell flat on his back. Fever ached through his body and he couldn't breathe right. "You _idiot_."

He closed his eyes.

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Chapter title from Sufjan Stevens' song of the same name.

So this is originally an RP but really only in a loose sense of the word. The odd-numbered chapters are Kakashi's POV written by me, and the even-numbered ones are Obito's POV by quietbun on Archive of Our Own, with all chapters edited by me. They don't have a fanfiction but this story is posted on AO3 under the same name so check it out there if you want.

Also yeah, I'm aware of the whole "evil Madara seal on Obito's heart that makes him do things convenient for the plot" and also how the Kiri people were somehow under his control without Kirigakure itself ever figuring that out? We're just going to go with it. Even canon has to be taken with a grain of salt (especially Naruto canon). Other things will be explained in time.

Edited as of 1/29/15

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_I'm drawn to the blood_

_The flight of a one-winged dove_

_How? How did this happen?_

_How? How did this happen?_

_The strength of his arm_

_My lover caught me off guard_

_How? Head of a rabbit_

_How? Head of a rabbit_

_For my prayer has always been love_

_What did I do to deserve this?_


	2. Family

Author: quietbun

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**Chapter 2: Family**

"Kakashi?!" Obito whispered hoarsely as Kakashi went limp. Panic gripped his heart with an iron fist. No! No no no, this wasn't supposed to happen. No one was supposed to die.

"Kakashi! No! Don't leave me here… Don't leave me alone in this hell," he sobbed. Now that he had Sharingan he should have been able to save him. He should have been able to save Rin. Why couldn't he save them?! His right eye burned painfully and he felt like the world was spinning around him. He gripped Kakashi's shirt tightly.

He had to fix this. There was still time to fix this, there had to be. Kakashi had said the seal was bad and wouldn't hold whatever those Kiri bastards had put inside of him. He needed to get to Minato-sensei, or Jiraiya-sensei. They could save him. Obito tried to stand up- he would drag Kakashi all the way back to Konoha if he had to- but instantly collapsed back to the ground, his right leg no longer able to support him.

"Shit. Fuck. Dammit!" He hissed out a string of profanities, clenching his teeth as tears of frustration stung in his eyes. And what about Rin, he couldn't just leave her here! But there was no way he could carry her and Kakashi all the way.

Fuck, they didn't have time for this! Kakashi didn't have time! Begging forgiveness from Rin he got a better grip on his other teammate. Struggled to stand up again he managed to drag Kakashi about fifteen feet, muttering at how heavy he was before Obito stumbled and fell. He squeezed his eye shut as he braced for the impact of the hard ground, but instead he kept falling. It was like falling into a cold river, Obito's breath was sucked out of his chest. He opened his eye tentatively and then gasped; it didn't look even look he was on the same planet. Everything blurred as it sped by and before he had time to take in the world he was falling though he fell out of it. He landed on a wooden floor with a heavy thud and gasped for breath, letting go of Kakashi to clutch at his chest while he struggled to breathe.

"Identify yourself at once!" A deep voice snapped above him and Obito glanced up, expecting it to be another Kiri-nin and preparing to fight, but the man towering above him wore the hitai-ate of the Leaf village. Also he had a kunai to his throat. Obito blinked in confusion; had back up arrived from the Leaf? But when he looked around he realized with a jolt that he was _in_ Konoha, in the Hokage's building. How the hell had he gotten here? Did it have to do with the weird other world?

"Obito...Uchiha..." He managed to cough out.

"What are you trying to pull kid? Obito Uchiha died."

"Do I look dead to you?!" Obito snapped, glaring up at him, Sharingan burning. He didn't have time to discuss that fact that he was supposed to be dead. He could tell the Hokage what had happened to him _after _he saw Minato-sensei and made sure Kakashi was going to be alright.

"I need to speak with Minato-sensei right now! Kakashi was captured and the Kiri-nin put some weird demon thing inside of him! It's gonna kill him!" He yelled up at the man who he vaguely remembered was Shikaku Nara.

"Nara-san stand down. I think I'm able to recognize my own students." A warm, if tense, voice said and Obito looked up to see the Hokage, except it wasn't Sandaime Hokage-sama… It was someone else in a white jacket decorated with red flames.

"_Yondaime-sama_! Where did you come from?" Nara-san yelped, standing up straight and sheathing his kunai as a man appeared with a yellow flicker. Obito met the cloaked man's kind blue eyes… Minato-sensei? Minato-sensei was Hokage?!

"Sensei! Help Kakashi! I think he's dying!" He blurted out, glancing at where Kakashi lay unconscious on the floor before sending a panicked look up at his Sensei.

"Ok, calm down Obito, Kakashi won't die. Tell me what happened. Where's Rin?" He asked, trying to calm the boy down enough to get a clear story out of him. Obito took a deep breath, still shaking, and nodded.

Obito skipped over Madara and the cave because it really wasn't immediately important. He told Minato-sensei about the Kiri-nin capturing Kakashi, and Rin saving him and him going berserk, the burning green chakra that had covered him, the way Kakashi's eyes had turned red and yellow and how Rin had died protecting him. A knot of guilt formed in Obito's stomach and his eyes began to water again, but he shook his head and kept talking, finishing up with the weird mark on Kakashi's chest and what he said he'd seen in his mind, before Kakashi had asked to die.

"I'm sorry Sensei, I couldn't help, and I left Rin behind, I wanted to bring her too but it all happened so fast and-"

"Hey hey, Obito. You did your best. You did wonderfully." Minato looked pale. "Kakashi's alive. I'll send someone for Rin-chan." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before standing sharply.  
"Nara-san, call for Jiraiya-sama and my wife. Also summon a team of medic-nins and get these boys to the hospital immediately."

"With all respect Hokage-sama, the Uchiha boy can't be trusted. We don't know how he survived. I suggest we have Inoichi-san analyze him for threats before anything else." Minato gave the man a look that was boiling over with cold fury.

"Nara-san. I just found out one of my students is alive after thinking he was dead for a year! This will boy receive help, threat or not! We will have him analyzed once he has healed, and only under my supervision. Same with Kakashi. Now go!" Nara-san gulped and nodded, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Minato nodded sternly, then knelt next to Kakashi, pushing up his tattered shirt to reveal the seal that had been carved into his chest. He swore softly when he saw it.

"Sensei, what's wrong?! Is he going to die?!"

"It really is- no. No… he's not going to die. The Sanbi won't let him die." Minato's voice sounded strange and detached.

"What's a Sanbi?"

"It's what I think is sealed inside him. Kakashi has… become the vessel for one of the tailed beasts. You know about the Kyuubi don't you, Obito?"

"Yeah, it's the great fox demon right? I remember someone in the clan mentioning it."

"The Sanbi is like that except it's a turtle demon instead of a fox. It's one of nine great Tailed Beasts that inhabit this world." Obito blinked, a cold dread pooling in his stomach but understanding for the most part.

"Can you fix it? Get it out of him or something?"

"Extracting the beast would definitely kill him." Minato-sensei said firmly, "Once someone becomes a Jinchuuriki they cannot survive having their beast taken from them." The word Jinchuuriki bounced around Obito's head like a lead weight; _human sacrifice_… He gulped.

"But I can try to fix the seal. I'll need Kushina and Jiraiya's help though; they're much more skilled in Fuuinjutsu than me. I'm betting… the seal he has right now is intentionally unstable, designed to fail and release the Sanbi using Kakashi like a Trojan horse on the Leaf. There's not much time." Minato picked up Kakashi easily and held out a hand to help him stand, but when Obito reached his hand passed right through his Sensei's. He gasped and stumbled backward again, Minato-sensei's eyes widening slightly.

"Ah, that might explain something."

"Explain what?! What's wrong with me?"

"Calm down Obito, it just explains how you got here. It's a variation of the Sharingan, called Mangekyo Sharingan that develops sometimes. Yours must have some sort of spatial manipulation abilities." Minato said solemnly. Obito gave a shaky nod, he believed Sensei but it still scared him shitless. As he attempted to stand up he felt a sudden rush of dizziness and hit the deck, out cold.

Obito woke up in a hospital bed, a symphony of soft beeps echoing around him. He gave a groggy groan and tried to sit up but found resistance in a leather strap around his chest. Making a panicked little noise he scrambled to remove the strap. Obito searched around the hospital room, his eyes wide with panic. Where was Kakashi? He needed to make sure he was alright. What if they left him alone with nothing but that monster in his head for company?!

"Uchiha-san?" A soft voice broke through his panic and his eyes focused on the young medical nin standing next to his bed, her hands raised in front of her. Oh god she was afraid of him. He took a deep breath to calm himself and then fixed the girl with a stern look.

"Hey! Where is Kakashi Hatake and why am I being restrained?"

"Hatake-san is under ANBU supervision right now while Jiraiya-sama goes to research a new seal. You are restrained because while you were unconscious your Mokuton implants lashed out and injured several medics." Obito felt a pang of guilt.

"Are they alright?!" He asked instantly.

"They're fine, we just found it easier to tend to your injuries with you restrained."

"Okay, then can you untie me and can I go see Kakashi? I'm feeling much better! I promise." The medic pursed her lips and shook her head softly.

"I'm sorry Uchiha-san, I've been informed by the Konoha Council that you're not to see anyone until Yamanaka-san asks you some questions." Anger swelled in Obito. Damn them, what did it matter what happened to him? Kakashi was the one in danger!

"Fine. Take me to Yamanaka-san." Fear crossed her face again and he tried to change the scowl on his face to something calmer. "Uh, please." He added lamely. She nodded and unstrapped him. Obito stood, wobbling a little bit. She helped steady him which he was grateful for, if a little embarrassed.

"So uh, what's your name?" He asked as they walked down the hospital hall.

"Shizune Kato. And you're Obito Uchiha. Rin-nee talked about you all the time!" She said with a smile, and Obito gave a start at the mention of Rin. Just hearing her name made his heart ache.

"You knew Rin?"

"I was her apprentice." She gave Obito a warm smile that only made him feel worse. It was his fault Rin had died, he had stolen this girl's teacher from her. He opened his mouth to apologize, but she glared at him, as if reading his mind.

"Don't say you're sorry either, I know that's what you want to do but that's not what Rin-nee would want. She's smart and knew what she was doing when she went back for Kakashi. If she was here she would smack you for being so mopey." This made Obito smile slightly. Shizune was right, besides right now he didn't have time to dwell on the past. He had to focus on helping Kakashi, and right now that involved talking to a lot of angry adults. Shizune showed him into a room where the Konoha Council, the head of the Uchiha clan Fugaku-sama, Minato-sensei, and Yamanaka-san were waiting for him. Minato rose when he arrived and smiled reassuringly at him. Obito took a seat at the table and shrunk under the cold gazes of the council members.

"Obito Uchiha. You're supposed to be dead." Well at least they got straight to the point. Obito's fingers ghosted over the right side of his face where a boulder had crushed and supposedly killed him. It was covered in thick ropes of scar tissue. They were right of course. By all rights he should've died but instead he was still alive, half human half Zetsu, or whatever this artificial Mokuton stuff was. Minato shot the man with the bandaged face a glare and placed a hand on Obito's shoulder.

"We just want to know how you managed to survive." Obito's gaze flickered to Yamanaka-san who sat on his other side, and reached to place a palm calmly on Obito's forehead. So they we're going to examine his brain to make sure he wasn't lying.

"Well, I remember the Kannabi bridge mission and giving Kakashi my eye-" a worried glance at Fugaku-sama and a dry gulp- "and then blacking out. When I woke up I was in this weird- GHACK!" Obito made a strangled choking nose and jerked back in his seat, grabbing his throat where it suddenly felt like someone was strangling him with a red hot iron. After a moment the pain subsided and he rubbed his neck tenderly. Minato gave him a nervous glance and Obito nodded in reassurance that he was ok. That was weird... He opened his mouth to speak again, picking up at the part where he woke up in a cave with Madara, but the moment the words began to form on his lips his neck began to burn again and they were sucked from his throat. He made a strangled noise of pain and this time Minato-sensei barked out a question to Yamanaka-san.

"Inoichi, what's wrong with him?!"

"It appears he has a seal placed on him that prevents him from speaking about what happened." Yamanaka sounded shocked. "Even in his mind everything from the bridge to finding Kakashi and Rin is blank." Minato scowled and gently brushed Obito's hands away from his neck: a red ugly mark reminiscent of a Sharingan tomoe was burned into the skin just above the head of his sternum.

Minato made an angry noise and rounded on the man with bandages wrapped around his head and one eye.

"Danzo, I know you used a similar seal to insure confidentiality in Root, do you know anything about this?" There was no hiding Minato's distrust of the man.

"No. It's an obedience seal. I'd say it's more similar to the seal placed on the branch family of the Hyuuga clan." He said coldly and Obito felt a chill run down his back when he looked that man in the eye. Minato glared at him and nodded.

"I'll look for a way to remove it, but until I do, I'm going to allow Obito leave and go see Kakashi-" He was cut off by a council member clearing his throat loudly.

"Do you really think that is wise, letting an… Uchiha near an unstable Jinchuuriki? No offence meant to the Uchiha clan of course." A vein pulsed visibly at Minato's temple and he clenched his jaw. Obito reeled, his anger swelling once more, he would like to see them _try_ to keep him away from Kakashi at a time like this.

"Actually, I have something I would like to say to Obito on that matter as well." Fugaku said calmly, and Obito felt an itch of dread. "Obito, we are all aware of you donating your eye to Hatake Kakashi, and while we were under the impression that you were dead we were, begrudgingly, willing to allow Hatake to keep the eye. But now that you have revealed you are still alive he must return your eye. Of course the Uchiha can't allow a non-Uchiha to possess a Sharingan while the true owner still lives." Obito's eye widened at what the clan head was implying. "We have a doctor on standby who is ready to perform the surgery whenever you are ready."

"And… if I won't take my eye back?"

"In that case you would be disowned from the Uchiha clan, and banned from the clan compound." Fugaku said it mockingly. Obito would show him.

"Well then I refuse to take it from him! Even though I gave Kakashi my Sharingan because I thought I was dying, I don't regret it for a moment. It was my gift to give and it's his now!" Anger flickered across the clan head's face before he regained composure.

"Well then, the issue that he is an Uchiha and cannot be trusted is no longer a problem." Fugaku-sama said coldly. Obito should probably be more upset about being cut off from his clan, but he really wasn't. In a way he was a little thrilled to finally rebel. His clan had never shown him much kindness after to his father's 'betrayal', calling him 'more loyal to the Nidaime than to the clan.' Minato gave Obito and troubled look, but he shrugged it off. The only family he needed now was Kakashi and Sensei and his other friends.

"Regardless, I believe that Obito is the perfect candidate to look after Kakashi while Jiraiya-sama is away and beyond. He can learn to control the Sanbi with his Sharingan and Mokuton, and he is already very close with Kakashi and trusts him already." Minato-sensei said and the council members murmured in agreement.

"Alright, Obito can be assigned as part Kakashi's guard, but on the condition that both of them are under constant surveillance by ANBU and he reports to a medic every day for a checkup."

The man with the bandages looked disgruntled but didn't object. "Kirigakure made the mistake of sealing the Three-Tails into one of our shinobi, and we should capitalize on that blunder as much as possible," he said sternly. "They gambled and lost. The Leaf will make them regret they ever tried to use a Bijuu against us. For now the priority is to ensure that Hatake's seal is stabilized. You are dismissed."

Obito nodded and stood up, bowing awkwardly, and glanced at Minato-sensei.

"Thank you for your time." He exited the room quickly, Minato following behind him. The older man placed a hand on Obito's shoulder and crouched down a little until he was at eye level.

"Are you alright Obito? That was a lot to take in." Obito nodded and gave his Sensei a reassuring smile.

"It's okay Sensei, I don't really care about being kicked out of the clan. They haven't been a real family in a long time. I just don't know where I'm going to live now."

"Don't worry about that, you can stay with Kushina and I in our house." Minato said, leaving no room for discussion, so Obito just nodded and allowed himself to be guided to Kakashi.

"The Sanbi is taking a toll on his body and he's been quite sick since he returned, so he's being kept in quarantine for now."

"It's making him sick? Does that normally happen to Jinchuuriki?"

"Not typically, but I don't know much about the Sanbi and its past Jinchuuriki. I suspect it has to do with how weak the seal is. The Sanbi itself is also a factor- it has been called the Rot Beast. It's known to emit poison mist and turn water toxic as a defense mechanism. The sickness itself isn't overly serious, just a bad flu, but one or two medics have come down with it already," Minato explained, in that kind patient voice that he always used when he was teaching his team when they were Genin.

"Then why do you think I didn't get sick?"

"We think it has something to do with your artificial limbs and healing properties Mokuton is known to possess." That made sense. Obito nodded and put the mask that a medic-nin handed him on and followed Minato-sensei into a hospital room where Kakashi was in bed. Obito was by his side in a second, the medic-nin bringing him a chair to sit on.

"Jeez Bakakashi you smell like a wet dog." He said fondly, the anxiety that had been building ever since he woke up slowly melting away. Obito would definitely find a way to save Kakashi, even if he couldn't save Rin.

* * *

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	3. Promise

Author: esthete-of-the-world

* * *

**Chapter 3: Promise**

Much as he'd like to be, Kakashi wasn't unconscious the whole time. Sometimes he could tell when nurses came in, partly by smell and partly through sound. Others visited though he wasn't sure when or for how long. Time was hard to keep track of in his feverish state.

Minato and Kushina visited at some point; all he picked up were their scents and snatches of sentences he couldn't always make sense of.

"I've always wanted to meet another one Minato… but not like this. Not him. Why did it have to be _him?_"

Then Minato-sensei's soft voice and a cool hand touching his forehead. "I'm so sorry Kakashi. I should've been there for you and Rin. I'll take care of Obito, and the seal and everything else. It will be alright. Please, please just rest..." His voice broke on the last syllable.

He tried to tell Minato that everything was not alright, that Rin was _dead_, that he was a _monster_ now, but it must have come out garbled since he was just shushed until he fell back asleep.

After that, or maybe before, Jiraiya-san's scent appeared. Muffled words were exchanged then someone was touching his chest again. People were doing that a lot. This time though they did something that _hurt_. He cried out, or tried to, and forced an eye open to see his attacker. Blurrily he made out a medical-masked mass of white spiked hair, which twisted to become his father, then morphed again to a man with a T-shaped scar pulling at his eye.

Suddenly he was lying on something cold and hard, wrists secured at his side and shirt missing. Kakashi saw a dark cavernous ceiling, and the man with the scarred eye was standing over him, wearing a gas mask and holding a scroll.

"Sharingan shouldn't interfere..." he was saying. Kakashi tried to move but found he could barely move his fingers.

"You sure they'll take him inside the village?" Said another one, voice distorted by another gas mask but unmistakably female.

"He's the Hokage's prodigal student with a Sharingan and a Bijuu inside him. Even after we let him deteriorate for a few days they won't give him up that easy. Not until it's too late."

The woman patted his cheek in a way that made him want to rip her arm off. "Be sure to deliver our little gift to your village safe and sound, okay kid?"

A roar that was at once terrifying and familiar shook the room. A hand pressed up against his chest and then his heart was on _fire_, the pain jolting through his body and the roars only growing closer and louder. His body grew heavy like his veins were filling with lead, he wasn't sure if he screamed.

Without warning the cave twisted into a rocky space of land next to the sea, pockmarked with pools of bloody water and stunted trees. Kakashi looked around, certain that there was someone here, someone he needed to find… Waves crashed and tumbled nearby, creeping closer. Sea water splashed over his ankles and on his pants. He took a step back then found he was frozen, watching in horror as the sea crept higher and higher. Legs, then arms and torso and finally his face went under before he was finally able to move, floundering toward air. But the water was all around him- no, it wasn't seawater, it wasn't salty it was _acidic_. It burned dully at his head and eyes and body as he struggled to breathe.

_Help me,_ he thought. _Minato-sensei… Rin… Obito… Dad…!_

These dreams and others swirled through his mind for longer than he could keep track of. Sometimes he was back in the cave full of demonic screams, and long periods were spent in the acidic water. It felt like his whole body was baking and his throat was parched, even as wet clothes clung to his skin.

One scene stood out from the others in that he didn't want this one to end. He was five years old again, not yet a Genin, huddled in blankets with a wet rag on his head. Pakkun was curled up on his pillow keeping guard.

"'Tou-san, I'm hooooottt."

"I know, Kashi-kun. See now why I told you not to go swimming in the middle of winter?" His father sat next to his bed, setting down a glass.

"I wasn't _swimming_, I was _water-walking_," he said indignantly. He'd almost had it too.

"So I've gathered. Why did you decide to practice outside? You could've done it in the bath and avoided catching a cold."

Kakashi cuddled his cheek into Pakkun's velvety soft ear. The pup didn't complain. "I wanted to surprise you," he muttered.

Sakumo laughed. "Well I was plenty surprised when you walked in the door sopping wet and feverish." He switched the wet rag on his forehead, the coolness a blessing.

"Next time tell me before you go practice off on your own, alright Kashi-kun?"

"Okay..."

"Alright then. Wait with Pakkun for just a moment while I send word to the Hokage. I don't think you'll be better before my mission tomorrow." His father turned to leave, but Kakashi pushed himself up in bed as far as he could without disturbing his dog.

"You're not gonna go? But I thought missions were important?" If what he'd been told was true missions were in fact at the top of the Very Important Things List, even above remembering to feed _Pakkun_.

His father smiled at ruffled his hair. "They are important, but not as important as you are. The whole reason I'm a shinobi is to protect the village, and _especially_ you. So it doesn't make any sense to go on missions before taking care of you, does it?"

Kakashi mulled the idea over in his fever-addled brain. "I guess not. Then does that mean I'm more important than the whole village?"

Sakumo tweaked his nose. "To me you are. More important than the whole world."

After that his body cooled, and head cleared enough to be somewhat aware of what was going on around him.

"Geez Bakakashi, you smell like a wet dog."

He wasn't sure how much later he heard the voice, but when he did he knew it was someone important. They said some more things he didn't process while Kakashi tried to remember who this person was. The scent was alien yet… nostalgic, somehow.

After a while another voice spoke up. "Come on, Obito. We should let him sleep. The doctor says he just needs some time to rest."

The name Obito sparked something. Obito… was alive. He was dead but now he's alive.

"Don't… leave… again, Obito..." He ground out the words, trying to reach out but only succeeding in flopping his arm off the bed. In a second Obito was back, grasping his hand.

"Kakashi! You're awake!"

He swallowed thickly and squinted his right eye open. His throat was dry as a bone. "I-" he coughed, muffled by the medical mask hooked around Kakashi's ears. Still he wanted to let Obito know that he was alive, so he squeezed his hand as best he could.

"Hey, don't push yourself… I'm glad you're okay. Not even the Turtle Flu can keep you down for long, huh?"

He wasn't sure what Turtle Flu was supposed to be but it sure as hell was still "keeping him down".

"Don't worry, I can't catch it. Still have to wear this itchy mask though. Seriously, how do you stand wearing this thing all day? Hehe… anyway. I talked to the council and long story short I got kicked out of the clan. Don't worry though, it's alright..." Kakashi lost track of what he was saying at that point and nodded off soon after, clutching Obito's hand like a lifeline.

That didn't mean that his dreams afterward were entirely peaceful. Kakashi was back in the acidic sea, though the burn wasn't as hot as before. This time he could see the surface. Light reflecting off the water showed people standing on top, not noticing or not caring that he was drowning so close to air. Slowly he kicked his way upward. As he got closer he began to recognize them. Obito, Sensei, Rin, and directly above him, his father. Just feet away from the surface something growled beneath him. Kakashi glanced down and was met with the one-eyed gaze of the Sanbi. The name came to him like an old memory.

It crouched half-hidden by the murkiness of the water, three armored tails hovering menacingly. The demon growled again, and Kakashi began to sink. The acid burned his eyes and his lungs like never before. For a moment he wondered if it would be better just to sink into the abyss and just be done with it. He'd killed Rin… almost killed Obito… couldn't stop his dad from…

Kakashi was tired of it all.

But.

But a voice echoed around, maybe inside of his head or maybe out, that kept muttering encouragements. Through the burning in his head he heard it- "_Hey come on, you've beat worse than this… hang in there Bakakashi… I've got you… We'll be here when you wake up… Don't leave me too..._"

But, there were still people up there.

_More important than the whole world._

One more time Kakashi kicked away from the suffocating current dragging him down. One more time he reached up, hoping someone noticed him. He wasn't done here quite yet, not while there were still people waiting for him.

Kakashi was alive, and maybe, just for now… he would try to keep it that way.

Sensei, Kushina-san, Rin, Obito, Dad…

His father was the one to reach down and grab his hand, pulling him up toward the sunlight and the people he cared for.

"Tou-san..."

Kakashi opened his eye. His vision was clear and body considerably cooler. Obito's hand was still in his, squeezing tight.

"Kakashi!" Obito sniffed and wiped his eyes with his free hand. There were tear tracks down both sides of his face.

"What're you crying for, dumbass?" His voice was gravelly but it worked.

"You were… nothing. You got really hot there for a while and you weren't sleeping that well, and I thought..." The Uchiha let another few tears drop.

"I'm fine, idiot. Just thirsty." Obito nodded quickly and handed him a cup with a straw in it, then tried to help him sit up. Kakashi batted his hand away and let go of the other without comment. He could sit up by himself thank you very much.

After sucking down some water (he slipped the straw underneath his medical mask, something Obito would normally tease him for) Kakashi exhaled. There were a lot of things he wanted to ask, like how his friend was alive, or about Rin, but he settled for the easiest one.

"How long was I out?"

"Two days almost. You woke up a few times though." Obito scratched nervously at his head. His long hair looked like it hadn't been brushed in months and he was wearing hospital clothes. Long before Kakashi had noticed the scarring and artificial limbs but decided not to ask about them yet. Just Obito being alive was enough for now.

"I don't really remember the other times," he lied, "Where are we?"

"Konoha hospital. It's kinda cool, I got us here with-"

"We're where? Are you _stupid?_" Kakashi snapped with as much strength as he could muster. The other boy flinched.

"I didn't mean to! And besides, you needed a doctor! We both did. So I don't regret it, even if it was an accident." He frowned stubbornly and crossed his arms.

"I'm not even going to ask how you brought us here accidentally. Or how you're even alive. I just need to get out of here." Taking a deep breath Kakashi tried to shove himself upright, and was rewarded with a wave of nausea and Obito pushing his shoulders down.

"You jackass, stay put! You're still really sick."

"Sick is one word for it. I'm a _demon_ Obito, unless you've forgotten." A slight chill went through his veins at the admonition but he ignored it.

"You are not! Stop saying that. Jiraiya-sama is in Kiri _right now_ looking for a way to fix this, so shut up and wait for him."

"Jiraiya's… can he remove it?" Hoping was almost painful but Kakashi had to ask.

"No, extracting it would kill you. And set the demon free, in case you're wondering," he added with a scowl. Damn, that wasn't an option then. "He's gonna find a way to fix your seal. When he checked it out earlier he said that Kiri purposely messed it up so you'd lose control and attack the village. So if Jiraiya can just figure out which seal those bastards were using, he can fix it."

So that was the fucker's plan. Kakashi processed this for half a moment. "If he stabilizes the seal, will the demon be able to… break out like before?"

Obito hesitated. "I don't know. But it'll hold much better than right now at least. Minato-sensei says it's amazing you were able to suppress it before."

"That's only because… I don't think I can stop it again!" Kakashi felt an irrational anger at Obito for making this so hard, and himself for being so weak. "I might not even make it until Jiraiya-san gets back."

"You won't lose control again." Obito grabbed his shoulders and hovered over him sternly. It was a new side of his friend he'd hardly seen before but this wasn't the time for his thick-headed optimism.

"How do you know?" Kakashi demanded. "Have you forgotten what I did?" Something wrenched in his chest- was it guilt, or fear maybe? "I killed _Rin_. I'm that unstable and you bring me back to the village of all places?! I can't take a chance like that!"

"But Kakashi-"

"You _never_ should have brought me back here. I'm going to kill-"

"BAKAKASHI!" Obito grabbed the collar of his hospital shirt and heaved him half out of his bed. He was crying again. "You're not going to lose control! You're the… you're the strongest, most talented shinobi I've ever met! If anyone can do it, you can. I trust you!"

Kakashi stared. "But I-"

"Don't!" Obito yanked his collar again, "Don't you say another word. What happened with Rin won't happen again. I won't let it. I _can't_ let it."

He looked him dead in the eye. "That demon won't hurt anyone. You won't kill again. I promise. "

Kakashi didn't know what to say.

Suddenly there was a puff of air in the room and he rounded on it, teeth bared instinctively under his mask and breathing labored. Minato-sensei appeared, medical mask in place and palms out in a calming gesture, but his eyes were serious. Obito stepped away from him; still the tenseness in his limbs didn't fade.

"Kakashi, you need to calm down," Minato said grimly. Kakashi's chest thrummed and ached.

"Hey… what's with..." Obito was staring at him, a bit of fear in his eye. Kakashi tensed away from him too, then glanced at Minato cautiously. Some instinct screamed that these people were dangerous, that he needed to run or attack. Why did he feel so threatened?

Silently Minato-sensei pointed at a mirror on the wall, and Kakashi understood. His eye, the non-Sharingan one, wasn't its normal flinty gray. It was… inhuman. The white of his eye was blood red, and the iris a sickly yellow. The shock of it stopped him cold.

"You need to stay calm Kakashi, or you'll excite the demon," said Minato. Kakashi felt like he was going to throw up. Those were the monster's eyes. He forced himself to breathe in and out steadily, reminding himself that Minato and Obito weren't going to hurt him (even if he asked). Slowly he watched his eye regain its regular colors.

"Are you alright now?" asked Minato-sensei. Kakashi nodded jerkily.

"That was the… but he didn't even do anything," Obito said hollowly.

"The seal is very weak right now, and it's only getting weaker. Tailed beasts are known to respond to the negative emotion of their vessel. Kakashi has to be kept as safe and as _calm_ as possible until Jiraiya-sensei returns and we're able to fix the seal, alright? I _told_ you that, Obito." The Uchiha grinned nervously.

"But Sensei..." Kakashi kept his voice as level as possible, "If I'm this dangerous, why don't you isolate me outside of the village where I can't hurt anyone? Or just try to kill me and the demon together?"

"Because we're not giving up hope for you, Kakashi-kun." said Minato with his usual warmness, even if it sounded a little tight`. He approached slowly and put a hand on his shoulder. "All of us together can beat this. With a new seal, and lots of support, you can-"

"Can _what_, Sensei?" Kakashi shot back. The shock had worn off, now he was just mad. "Spend the rest of my life just trying to keep this thing under control? Hope I won't go on another rampage? Stay under lockdown forever? Why even bother?"

"Because having a tailed beast sealed inside of you is _not_ a death sentence, and Obito and I aren't the only ones who will tell you so. There's one other person… who should be getting here about now. She'll explain everything."

"Who-" The door swung open.

"Minato, is everything alright? That chakra is spilling all over the place, dattebane!" The Hokage's wife barged in, red hair blazing.

"Yes, we got him calmed down."

"Kushina-san?" he looked at Minato, "What does she have to do with anything?"

"A whole lot more than you know, squirt. Everyone sit down and shut up, and Kakashi you lie down. You look pale as a ghost," Kushina demanded.

He was feeling a little light-headed so he obeyed the kunoichi's instruction. Obito settled down on his bed, the closeness comforting. Minato-sensei sat next to Kushina and put his hand on hers.

"Kakashi, what's inside of you isn't any ol' monster," she began, as serious as he'd ever seen her. "It's one of the nine tailed-beasts. The one inside of you is-"

"The three tails, Sanbi, I know, I can count the tails myself-"

"Don't interrupt, dattebane! The one inside of you is Sanbi, the lake turtle demon. A person with a tailed demon sealed inside of them is known as the Jinchuuriki of that demon."

_Human sacrifice…_ Kakashi had heard the term before, vaguely, and always in conjunction with massacres and death.

"No use beating around the bush, I guess." Kushina took a breath. "When I was a little girl, I was brought to this village for one purpose. That was to become the Jinchuuriki of the nine-tailed fox."

* * *

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	4. Kanzashi

Author: quietbun

* * *

**Chapter 4: Kanzashi**

Obito listened to Kushina with rapt attention, hanging on her every word. The way she explained it being a Jinchuuriki was a more of a burden than a death sentence like Kakashi thought. She explained how the Bijuu were originally used by the Shodai as bargaining chips in peace treaties because of their potential as powerful weapons. Because of that Jinchuuriki were often feared by the villages, isolated and treated like they were nothing more than weapons they contained. Kakashi probably wouldn't mind being left alone, knowing him he might prefer it, but the thought of him bearing that burden alone made Obito's heart ache.

"But if you're going to take away anything from this talk, it's this." Kakashi had been staring at his hands the entire time Kushina had been talking, so she grabbed his face with a vice-like grip and forced him to look her in the eyes. "So listen up _dattebane_! I'm going to tell you something my Jinchuuriki predecessor told me. The tailed beasts are masses of hateful chakra, and left unchecked they will only cause more hate and pain. The only way to counter that hatred is to fill the Jinchuuriki with love." She let go of his cheeks and gestured to herself, Obito, and Minato. "So that's gonna be our job! We're going to fill you with love and make sure you never feel lonely or like you have to do this on your own." Obito swelled with pride and puffed his chest out, giving him a reassuring grin. Kakashi was quiet for a moment before replying.

"But why though? Why are you wasting your time on me? I don't _have_ this under control like you do Kushina! I could lose control and kill all of you just like I killed Rin!" Kakashi snapped finally, clenching his hands into tight fists. Obito opened his mouth to yell at the moron but Kushina-san beat him to it.

"Kid, if you don't think I could kick that thing's half-sealed turtle ass and chain that sucker right back inside you, you've got another thing coming!" Kushina said pridefully and Minato affectionately rolled his eyes at her.

"Besides Bakakashi! We're never ever gonna give up on you even if you turn into a crazy turtle sometimes! So stop being such a MOPEY DUMBASS AND JUST ACCEPT IT!" Obito yelled, giving the idiot a punch on the shoulder for good measure. Kakashi was silent for several more seconds before the tension in his posture faded and he sunk back into his hospital bed laughing softly and shaking his head. Obito blinked, shocked at first. Kakashi was… Laughing? He wasn't sure if he'd _ever_ heard Kakashi laugh before. It was soft and quiet and made Obito want to laugh with him. A huge grin split across the ex-Uchiha's face and he laughed loudly; yeah, he really liked it when Kakashi laughed. After that the nurses kicked him out for punching their patient while he was still recovering, and Kushina and Minato agreed that they should probably give Kakashi some space and time to rest.

"They're still going to let me see him aren't they Sensei?" Obito asked nervously as they left the hospital.

"I don't think they could stop you even if they wanted to. But they _are_ right. You should probably be more gentle with Kakashi, at least until his seal is finished." Obito scratched the back of his head, his face heating up with embarrassment.

"Sorry Sensei…"

"Don't worry Obito, I think the fact that you're treating him normally helps him a lot." Minato-sensei said reassuringly, smiling at him.

"Anyways!" Kushina butted in, wrapping her arm around the black haired boy. "The doctors finally cleared you to leave the hospital _dattebane_! Minato told me that you're going to be staying with us since the Uchiha-clan can't pull their heads out of their asses, but don't worry I had Mikoto bring all your stuff over to our house. So let's go home and let Minato work everything else out." Home... The realization that Obito was finally home hit him like a ton of bricks. He was back in Konoha with Sensei and Kushina and Kakashi... even if Rin was gone.

"Obito? Are you ok _dattebane!_? I was just kidding about the Uchiha clan thing!" Kushina's hand was on his shoulder. Obito wiped the tears out of his eyes and grinned up at the two adults.

"I'm alright!" Minato smirked at Kushina while the red-headed kunoichi wrapped him up in a tight hug.

"Good! Now let's get home and get you cleaned up!"

Obito had never experienced true pain until that day._ Ah, so this is hell…_ He thought as Kushina dragged a brush through his tangled mess of hair.

"OW! Be gentle!" He exclaimed, wincing.

"You were the one who said you wanted to keep your long hair." Kushina muttered through gritted teeth as she battled with the rat's nest that was his hair. "Wouldn't it be easier to just cut it off?"

"No way! I've wanted long hair- OW!- ever since I was a little kid! Long hair is super cool!" He yelled back, tears of pain appearing in the corners of his eyes. Long hair was a sign of skill in shinobi culture and many of Obito's ancestors had worn their hair long. Kushina just made a 'tsk' of disappointment and kept brushing. This went on for close to another hour before Kushina was finally able to run the hairbrush through Obito's hair without feeling the slightest bit of resistance.

"Done." She announced happily, finally letting Obito walk over to the mirror and inspect his appearance.

A scarred face stared back at him, long black hair falling in his face and a simple black eyepatch covering the empty socket where his left eye had once been. He gave an experimental smile, watching as a face he hardly recognized gave a half-crooked smile. Obito felt his gut twist with disgust despite himself as he was struck the realization that he would live with these scars for the rest of his life. He tried to shake that feeling off by telling himself that he was a shinobi and all shinobi worth their salt had scars. When he was a kid Obito had fantasized over the idea of showing off cool battle scars, but now that his face was almost covered in them he felt differently. No one would ever think he was handsome again. He brought his hand up to his face and followed the swirling lines of the scars, wondering if Rin would have cared how deformed his face was.

"Umm, Obito. I think we have a problem." Kushina's voice called from another part of the house. Obito dragged his gaze away from the mirror. In the front room of the house were several large boxes labeled "OBITO" in neat black marker. Kushina was rifling through one of them, tossing out article after article of clothing.

"What are you doing Kushina?"

"Looking for some clothes that actually fit you! All your old clothes look way too small."

"Huh? I couldn't have grown _that_ much!" Kushina held up one of his shirts to show what she meant. It hadn't looked that small a few months ago…

"That's my favorite shirt! It totally still fits!" He grabbed it from her hands and pulled off Sensei's shirt, which he had been borrowing until his were brought to the Uzumaki-Namikaze household, and pulled on the old shirt. It was so tight he could hardly fit his head through the hole and was about three inches too short on the midriff.

"It doesn't fit…" he bemoaned, pulling it off with a sigh. He was half ecstatic that he had grown and half in denial at the loss of his entire wardrobe. He helped Kushina-san go through the rest of the box, trying on any clothes that might fit and tossing all the clothes that didn't. Most weren't even wearable anymore because the Uchiha family symbol had been torn off of anything that had once proudly bore the red and white fan.

"Nice." Kushina muttered angrily as she threw away yet another ruined jacket. Obito really didn't care about the clan crests, what he was really upset about was the fact that now his wardrobe was basically nothing. All that was left was one pair of pants and two shirts, all of which were once-too-big hand-me-downs from his older cousins, and his flak jacket that he hardly wore anyway.

"Well. I guess there's no helping it. Get dressed as best you can Obito, we're going clothes shopping."

"What? No way! I can get my own!"

"I'm not going to let you live with just one outfit! Think about the laundry bill!"

"It'll just be until I can go on missions and make some money! I don't need your handouts."

Kushina smacked him over the head. "Shut up dattebane! I'm going to buy you some proper fitting clothes! No arguments!" Obito rubbed his head and swore he could feel a goose egg growing.

"Fine! But once I become Hokage you better believe I'm going to pay you back! Plus interest!"

"You better." Kushina said with a firm nod.

Obito followed Kushina out of the house, donning his measly outfit and tying his messy black hair up into a ponytail. She dragged him from shop to shop, buying him an assortment of shirts, pants, coats, underwear, and shoes. Obito was extremely grateful for everything Kushina-san was doing, but no matter where they went Obito was acutely aware of people staring at him. He still couldn't help double taking every time he saw his own reflection. This was definitely going to take some getting used to.

By the time it was finally time to head back home Obito was weighted down with several bags and one big box nestled securely under his arm.

"One last stop!" Kushina said with a giddy tone that led Obito to believe she was up to no good. She bolted off to one of the many stalls that dotted the streets but before Obito could take a step to follow he heard someone call his name.

"Obito?! Is that you?" Obito spun on heel to see who was calling him. It was Kurenai and Asuma, two of his friends and age-mates from the academy.

"Kurenai! Asuma!" He exclaimed, running over to give both of them an awkward one-armed hug, a jubilant smile on his face. "It's so good to see you guys! I missed everyone so much!"

"We heard rumors that you were back but I didn't believe it!" Asuma said.

"Well I guess you have to believe it now!" He said with grin.

"How are you alive? Kakashi said you were crushed under a boulder." Kurenai asked skeptically. Obito remembered the burning sensation that arose whenever he spoke of Madara.

"It's a... long story that I'm not allowed to tell anyone. You know how the council is. Sorry."

"Believe me, I know." Asuma said with an eye-roll. "Don't worry about it then. All that matters is that you're back now!"

"Ha, yeah! So how have you guys been? Are you on a date?"

"What?! No way! I was just out running so errands." Kurenai insisted.

"I was just on my way to report to the Hokage. We just happened to be going the same way." Asuma stated, both of them glaring at him, daring him to protest.

"Ah well that's too bad! You guys make a good pair." Kurenai blushed and waved him off. They chatted for a few more minutes, neither of them bringing up Rin even though they had to know that she was gone now. Before long Obito realized he had _totally _lost Kushina.

"Oh shit! I forgot I was actually with someone when you guys showed up. I have to go find her!"

"Oh yeah? Who?"

"Kushina-san."

"The Hokage's wife?! Well you better go find her. See you later Obito! Bring Kakashi around sometime and we can have some dango."

"I definitely will!" He waved at the two Chunnin as they left.

He found Kushina at a small stand where a woman was selling kanzashi. The beautiful hair ornaments glittered in the sun.

"Looking for something for yourself? Or should I drop the hint to Minato-sensei that you want a new kanzashi?"

"Actually I was looking for one for you!" She stuck one of the dangling pins into his messy ponytail.

"Why? These are for girls!" He looked at her with confusion as the ornament tinkled softly in the wind, but she just grinned happily and held up a mirror. It was an almost ridiculous scene, Obito; with his scarred face, and single eye wearing the dainty string of bells in his hair. The Kanzashi itself was fairly simple compared to the others on display, with three strands of golden bells that dangled down from the pin.

"Many warriors from my home country of Uzushio would wear them- the more bells you wore the more accomplished a shinobi you were! And they can even be used as weapons in a pinch." She said, and to prove her point she picked one up from off the stall and gave it an expert toss, landing firmly as any shuriken or kunai would in the side of the stall.

"So are you saying I'm an accomplished shinobi?" Obito asked teasingly, know Kushina would deny it and tell him he would have to _'work harder so he could become like Kakashi dattebane!'_ or something. Still, he was liking the look of the kanzashi more and more by the moment.

"Yes, you are a great shinobi. Maybe as good as Kakashi."

"Wait what?! Are you ok Kushina? Are you sure you didn't hit your head?"

"You idiot! I'm trying to be sincere here! I really do think you are a great shinobi. You managed to bring Kakashi home safe even while his Bijuu was manifest. Not many people could do that." Obito felt his face heat up at the compliment. "So I do think you deserve to wear a kanzashi. Although my husband can wear one with five or six strings of bells!" And just like that they were back to bickering. Kushina paid for Obito's new hair ornament and promised to teach him how to throw it like she could.

When they got back Minato was already stirring a pot on the stove, smiling when he saw Obito's new hair pin.

"You also bought him a kanzashi, Kushina?"

"Yep! I figured he deserved it after bringing Kakashi back in one piece dattebane!"

"What do you mean also Sensei?" Obito butted in, curious.

"She gave me one for our wedding."

"Really? Then why don't you wear it?"

"My hair isn't exactly long enough, so I keep it at home where it will be safe."

"So why don't you wear one Kushina? Your hair is totally long enough!" Obito asked.

"I can't find any that look good with my red hair." She said woefully. "Oh yeah! I forgot to ask Minato, why are you home so early?"

"Well, the council and I have finally determined what to do with Kakashi so I came home to tell you, but you were still out so I decided to start dinner."

"What did they decide?" Obito's words were edged with worry but he tried to stay calm to listen to the rest of what Sensei had to say.

"Don't worry Obito, you're included in this plan. We're going to move him out of the village as a precaution to the Uchiha summer manor outside the village. He'll be safe there while we wait for Jiraiya to return, and then while he trains to control the Sanbi."

"That's a good place to do it I guess." He remembered visits to the summer manor. They had always been fun; he got to spend hours and hours playing with his cousins and training with his aunts and uncles. "But Sensei, how did you get the Uchiha to let us use the summer manor?"

"You underestimate my power as the Hokage. It was less of a request and more of a demand."

"Hehe, alright! So when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. Rin's funeral is tomorrow morning, and after that we'll pick up some medics and meet our ANBU protection detail at the West gate." Obito was silent for a few moments, realizing that he would have to attend Rin's funeral and finally come to terms with the fact that she was really and truly gone. His heart ached and he nodded silently.

* * *

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	5. White Lilies

**Chapter 5: White Lilies**

Author: esthete-of-the-world

* * *

"Ka...kashi..." Blood dribbled out of the sides of Rin's mouth. Acidic chakra billowed over her chest. His forearm was through her heart.

"Rin!" Kakashi tried to pull his arm out of her, but she caught his elbow in an iron grip.

"Kakashi!" Her face contorted in anger, "I went back for you!" He struggled futilely to move, or speak, anything- but he was paralyzed.

"I went back for you, when you've left me behind! And you killed-!"

He woke up, gasping.

Dammit. Again? The new Jinchuuriki put his hand over his face, trying to steady his breathing. It had only been a day or two, but it seemed like he'd been in the hospital for weeks. The cycle of fever, doctors, medicine, a snatch of sleep, nightmares then fever again dragged time to a crawl. Only the medics and Shizune had visited him since Obito, Sensei and Kushina-san had left.

Had it been like this for Kushina when she became a Jinchuuriki? Maybe it hadn't because she was just a little girl then, or maybe it had been worse. Kakashi had been too shocked at the initial revelation to ask anything. Now he was bursting with questions, most of them he wasn't sure he had the courage to ask. How did she smile so much? Wasn't she scared? How could she walk around like nothing was wrong? Kakashi's stomach jumped into his throat whenever he so much as thought about it.

It was worse than when he got Obito's Sharingan. His friends supposed death had torn through him like a knife, but… on that mission, Kakashi had finally done something right for the first time in what seemed like forever. The Sharingan, however terribly he'd gotten, and no matter how awful it was on Kakashi's chakra for a while, was a gift.

Only now was he starting to see how precious a gift it was. It had been given willingly, in trust, to a friend. Becoming a demon jailer was a curse from an enemy Kakashi hadn't asked for. Obito's Sharingan was a power to be cherished and the Sanbi was… not.

Pushing himself up, Kakashi grabbed a cup of water from the nightstand and drained it. No use laying around and dwelling on it. There was no one in the room at the moment, but he felt much better than he had before. His fever was down a little more and he wondered if he would be allowed to leave anytime soon. Only being able to lay around and wait was agonizing. The sooner Jiraiya got back and his seal was fixed, the sooner he could… well. Try and not kill anyone for the rest of his life? Kakashi sighed.

The just-rising sun illuminated his room through the curtained window. If he strained he could just hear quiet voices throughout the hospital. Hopefully a medic would be in soon to give him some medicine or discharge him, but until then, he might as well try to get up. It had been far too long since Kakashi had been on his feet. He swung out of bed and stood, swaying a bit and rubbing his jaw. The shitty medical mask was itching. There was a table in the corner with a washbasin, rag, and pitcher of water. First things first he tugged off the itchy mask and drank the entire pitcher- damn he's been thirsty lately. Did fevers always do that? Determined to at least wash his face before he got too dizzy to stand, Kakashi wet the washrag and looked in the tiny mirror.

The rag hit the ground with a splat.

His face… had marks on it. Five dark green curved triangles, one under his bottom lip and two more on either side, marred his jaw line. Tentatively he touched one. The skin was rough, almost reptilian, but most definitely _his._ It wasn't dirt, it didn't even seem like a tattoo- an image flashed through Kakashi's mind of the Sanbi and its jaw-like armor above and below its head. Which meant- turtle bastard had left its mark on his _face?_ Was that normal for a Jinchuuriki? Kushina hadn't mentioned it. Was the beast starting to break out?

Kakashi took deep breaths. Minato-sensei had already warned him about keeping his emotions under control, not that he'd ever had much trouble with that before all this. He needed to calm down before the Sanbi got riled up again.

The door opened. Kakashi jumped half out of his skin, slipped on the wet rag and falling on his ass. So much for calm. Shizune was at the door, holding a tray of food with a startled look on her face.

"Kakashi! Are you alright?" Belatedly he realized he was maskless, but the damage was already done. He grabbed the table and heaved himself up as Shizune put down the food.

"You shouldn't be up yet," she admonished, helping him back to bed.

Kakashi sat and stared at his bare feet. "Shizune… the marks on my face… are they...?"

Her voice became grave. "They were there when you arrived here. As far as we can tell they aren't dangerous… but they might permanent."

Kakashi didn't answer. As far as consequences of becoming a Jinchuuriki, this really wasn't bad. After all his mask would cover the marks anyway. It just made the whole thing more immediate; his very face was stained with the demon inside him. It was sinking in that the Jonin's life would never be the same again, _really_ never the same.

"Kakashi? You alright?" Shizune handed him a fresh medical mask that he slipped on gratefully.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… a little tired."

"Which is why you should still be in bed." Shizune gave his shoulder a shove and Kakashi laid back down. "You need to rest if you want to be able to go to Rin-nee's funeral later today," she continued, a little hollowly. Right, Rin had been mentoring Shizune while Tsunade was out of the village. Though they were almost the same age she'd looked up to Rin like a sister.

And her funeral was going to be today. Kakashi looked at his hands. He'd rather face Rin in his nightmares than have to explain to her family that he killed their daughter.

"Hey, don't you wimp out!" Shizune snapped, "I've heard what happened from Kushina-san. Rin went back to save you after you'd gotten captured, right? You better not waste your life, or it will be like she died for nothing!"

Kakashi blinked. "I… yeah. You're right. But Shizune, do you, know about what happened? With me?"

"You mean the Sanbi?"

"They told you?"

"Well, yeah. I'm one of your medics after all. I'm just a Chunnin but they thought that it would be best to have someone you know treating you."

"But you're not afraid of me? Afraid of it?" He pushed.

"I'm not afraid of you, of course!" Her smile faded, "But the beast- I've heard how destructive those things are. Once your seal is fixed, I'm sure you'll be able to control it. For now, I'll just have to trust you… and this." Shizune pulled a vial with a huge needle on the end out of her pocket.

"What's that?"

"A tranquilizer," she said a little too cheerily, "If you start to lose it this'll knock out you and that demon for I don't even know how long."

"How do you not know? Is it even safe?"

"Not sure! It's never been used on a human. It's designed for summon animals."

Ah. "Right..." Kakashi exhaled. He'd known the kind-hearted Shizune and Rin for so long he'd forgotten how _scary_ medical-nin could be.

"Well, you're looking much better anyway. I'm going to request the head medic to discharge you for the funeral. Besides, we both know you would try to sneak out anyway."

Not that he was excited to go, but Kakashi probably would anyway. She left his food (the only thing even remotely appetizing were the vegetables), made sure he took his medicine then turned to leave.

"Shizune?" he called after her. She turned around.

"Yeah?"

"Don't… tell anyone about what's under my mask, alright?" Kakashi looked down. "Even Obito. Especially not Obito. Or, just anyone really."

"If you don't want me to. Come on Kakashi, I've known you longer than just about anyone, _including_ Gai. I've kept your teeth a secret haven't I? Not that there's any _reason_ to keep them covered up. I think Inuzuka's teeth are cool."

Kakashi gave her an icy glare. He'd practically grown up with Shizune until he started at the Academy. His father and her uncle Dan used to be best friends, and liked to bring their kids along to dinner or share a babysitter when they went out for a drink. She'd been hardly more than a toddler then but still remembered what his face looked like before he started wearing masks, and wouldn't let him forget it. But for the record he wasn't ashamed of the teeth he'd inherited from his mother, or anything.

"Fine. You know that medic-nin keep secrets better than anybody. Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that. Now rest for a while. I'll tell Hokage-sama that you're up and he can visit you. You shouldn't be contagious anymore."

Kakashi nodded. After she left he lay in bed, rubbing his jaw and not touching his food. By touch the triangle marks just felt like patches of rough, dry, almost scaly skin. Was Obito bothered by the scarring on his face? Suddenly he felt bad for not asking about it. Obito wasn't the only one who'd been through a lot since Kannabi Bridge. Kakashi had to remember to ask how he was doing, or something. Friends did that, right? Admittedly he was still new to the whole "actually trying to befriend people" thing, but it couldn't be that hard. Kakashi had been given a second chance to be Obito's friend and he was not going to mess it up again. Besides, Kushina had said that it would help control the Sanbi, somehow… that whole "love filling the demon" thing didn't make much sense to him.

Speaking of, what would Obito think of his Sanbi-jaw-marks? No wait, Obito wasn't going to see under his mask anyway. For some reason the question still bothered him.

Kakashi got up again, grumbling a bit to himself. Supporting himself on the wall (holy shit he was tired) he made his way to the washbasin and mirror. Partly curiosity, and partly a self-imposed desire to _get over it already_ drove him to drag off his mask and look in the mirror. Now that the initial shock had worn off Kakashi was able to look at himself more closely. He was even more sickly-pale than usual, contrasting the dark patches under his eyes. The triangles on his jaw were a bit longer than they were wide, curling inward and extending from just under his jawline up his cheeks.

The Sanbi's marks, along with the fang-like teeth and scarred eye made him look… demonic. Dangerous. He was a Jinchuuriki now, a monster, and no matter what Kushina said that was the reality. Tugging down the collar of his teal hospital shirt, he winced at the dark ink of his seal bruising the skin around it. The seal that was _designed to fail_. It was only a matter of time. If Jiraiya didn't come back soon Kakashi would transform again- and then the only question was how many people he killed before someone killed _him._

His face was no longer what looked back at him in the mirror. The Sanbi's evil, one-eyed glare blurred over his until that was all he could see. It was all hopeless, all this was a waste of time; Kakashi and the monster were one in the same now, he was going to lose control again, kill Sensei, kill Obito-

"No!" Kakashi squeezed his eye shut and punched the demonic reflection. The green haze receded while he just tried to breathe. Shut up, shut up, shut up, he was _not_ going to kill anyone. Kakashi had to believe he wasn't going to kill Obito like he did Rin.

"Get a _grip,_ Hatake," he muttered to himself. Without looking at the shattered mirror, he picked up his medical mask and re-donned it, hands a little shaky. The knuckles of his right hand were cut and bleeding from the broken glass. But as the pain in his seal had receded Kakashi guessed he was alright. For now.

There was a knock at the door. "Kakashi? Are you awake?" It was Minato-sensei. He darted back into bed as fast as he could without passing out.

"Uh. Yeah. Come in," he said, sliding his injured hand under the sheets.

The door opened and Minato entered quietly, shutting the door behind him. There was a bundle of dark cloth under his arm and he was in black funeral clothes under his white Fourth cloak. Kakashi shrunk a little under the Hokage's gaze as he took in the untouched food and shattered mirror.

"Good morning, Kakashi."

"Morning Sensei."

Minato sat down in a chair by his bedside, sighed, then held his hand out expectantly.

"What?" Kakashi said blankly.

"Your hand."

"My hand is fine," he said, looking down.

"Kakashi I am _not_ in the mood. Give me your hand." He met his teacher's steely gaze and almost flinched. Everyone knew that Kushina the legendary Red-Hot-Habanero was a force to be reckoned with. Less well known was that her husband could be even _more_ terrifying when he was mad.

Slowly he slid his hand out from under the sheets, wincing at the sting. Blood was smeared over his knuckles and streaming down his palm. Minato-sensei took his wrist without a word and began picking out the shards of glass. The silence was heavy.

"Are… Kushina and Obito here?" Kakashi asked tentatively.

"Yes. Obito's getting a checkup and Kushina went with him."

"Is he alright? I haven't even asked how he survived." That probably made him a terrible friend.

"We don't know either. There's an obedience seal on his neck to keep him from talking about it."

Kakashi's eye widened. "Like the Hyuuga's?"

"Similar. Whoever set it knew what they were doing; I can't remove it without risking killing him. He can't give us any information. We know that his artificial limbs are made of the First Hokage's Mokuton cells, but we have no idea where they came from. Who did the procedure and why they decided to save Obito is anyone's guess."

He'd already guessed that the limbs had something to do with Mokuton judging by the wood attacks Obito had used, but the fact that they were made from the cells of the Shodai himself was troubling. Where could they have gotten his DNA?

Minato-sensei finished cleaning out the mirror shards and pulled some antiseptic and bandages out of the bedside table.

"Obito's alright though? I mean not just his body, but after all this, everywhere, he's… all... alright?" Not even Kakashi knew exactly what he was trying to say.

"He should be alright with support and time to heal. You _both_ will," Minato added sternly, tying a bandage around Kakashi's knuckles. He was being gentle but the smell of antiseptic just made him think of Rin.

"Now. What set you off?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Kakashi," Minato warned.

"_Nothing._ I have a broken seal and a _demon_ inside of me, do I really need a reason? I couldn't go two hours without losing it." Kakashi's face heated at the admission and it wasn't the fever. He felt like a toddler who'd thrown a tantrum. Did he really have so little self-control?

"I didn't ask why, I asked _what_ upset you. Was it what's under your mask?" Minato asked, though it didn't sound like a question. Kakashi hunched his shoulders and clenched the hospital blankets in his hands.

"So much for doctor-patient confidentiality..." he muttered.

"I'm the Hokage. Rules like that don't really apply to me. Shizune didn't tell me what it was though, I was hoping you'd show me." Sensei's words were light but he'd known him long enough to know that it wasn't really a request, not when he got like this.

Still he shook his head. "It's stupid, Sensei. Nobody will see it anyway. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to you, if that poor mirror is anything to go by."

Minato had seen his face before, that wasn't the problem. It was stupid and shallow but he thought of the marks on his jaw as the manifestation of him becoming a Jinchuuriki and a reminder of what he'd done to Rin. He didn't want to Sensei see what he'd become.

"Alright Kakashi, this is what's going to happen." Minato said after a moment of silence. "You are going to give me that mask. Then I'm going to check your seal for any deterioration, and you will get dressed and we'll meet Kushina and Obito to attend Rin's funeral. Immediately afterward we're going to an Uchiha manor outside the village where we will fix your seal and teach you to contain your Bijuu like Kushina does." Minato held his shoulders and gave him a piercing stare. "And _you_ are going to stop hiding things from people that are trying to help you. Before it was just unhealthy, but now? It's dangerous, Kakashi. Especially while your seal is so weak."

The Jinchuuriki said nothing. At least they were finally going to move him out of the village. Minato put his hand out again, for his mask this time.

"I think you've spent too much time around Kushina," said Kakashi, touching one loop of his medical mask, then stopping.

"Do I really-"

"Yes."

Kakashi looked away from his teacher and pulled off the mask. There was a small hitch in Minato-sensei's breath as he saw the curling green marks.

"In case you're wondering, yeah, they look like the armor around the Sanbi's jaw," Kakashi muttered. "It's like it stained me. Cursed me. When I looked in the mirror, I didn't see my face. I saw that _monster's_. It's like I'm turning into-"

Sensei hugged him.

"You are not turning into the Sanbi. The marks are just a side effect of a bad seal. You're _Kakashi_, a human being, and you are _not_ the beast inside of you. I don't want to hear you say that ever again."

Kakashi chewed his cheek, a nervous habit he thought he'd grown out of. Hugs weren't something he was used to so he just hung there limply until Minato let go of him. His sensei had always been the optimistic type, he knew that, but Kakashi didn't want to disappoint him any more than he already had. After that he stripped off his hospital shirt so Minato could check his seal. He shivered against the cold air.

"I know you still have a fever Kakashi, just bear with me here." Sensei was kinder now that he was cooperating, holding a glowing hand over his seal. "Not by too much but it's definitely less stable than before. Can you feel anything when I do-"

"Ow! Yes!" People needed to stop _doing_ that.

"Sorry. At least your seal seems secure enough. If you stay calm, you can go to Rin's funeral. But if you start to lose control I'll use Hiraishin to take you out of there. Deal?"

Kakashi nodded. He got dressed in the funeral clothes, grateful for his mask and hia-te back. Eager to get out of the stifling hospital room and its shattered mirror, Kakashi insisted they just go straight to where Obito was. He soon discovered that walking itself was a chore and had to stop and rest _twice_ just on the way. God this was humiliating. Normally he didn't mind hospital visits too much; he was free to sleep and read as much as he wanted. Now he just felt weak and useless.

"He should be around here somewhere," Sensei mused when they got to a hall of identical white doors. Kakashi headed straight for one on the right.

"No, he's in here." Mokuton may have changed Obito's scent but he still recognized it, hospital stench be dammed. He opened the door.

"Kushina-saaaaaan, when can I go see- oh! Kakashi! And Sensei!" Obito's face absolutely lit up at the sight of him. His hair was combed back into a ponytail with a decorative pin and he was dressed in the same black clothes as the rest of them, but without a shirt. The line between his tan skin and pale Mokuton flesh was stark and it made Kakashi wince in spite of himself. His friend really had come close to dying under that boulder.

"Yeah. Uh, hi," he said, sitting down before he got too exhausted. Now that he was here he wasn't sure what to say to the ex-Uchiha.

"They let you out already? You look terrible Bakakashi." Obito either didn't notice or didn't care about his bandaged knuckles.

"Thanks for the encouragement dumbass."

"You're welcome. As soon as Kushina-san gets back I can get out of here too. I really don't even need checkups."

"Your Mokuton is healed then?"

"Well, the parts connected to my body are for the most part. I'm just not really used to it yet. It's not as bad as your turtle flu. You sure you're alright? You look like you need a wheelchair."

"I'll be fine. I can sit if I need to during the. Service."

It's not that Kakashi had forgotten about Rin's funeral, not by a long shot. He'd just pushed it to the back of his mind during his eventful morning.

"Yeah..." Obito trailed off. Minato-sensei, who had been standing in the doorway, broke the silence.

"Here's Kushina."

She made even funeral clothes look normal. "Obito, they say you're free to go. Hey, Kakashi. You feeling alright?"

A twinge went through his chest when he saw Kushina and he wasn't sure why. Something about her made him nervous.

"Morning Kushi-"

**I knew I sensed that fox bastard!**

"Holy SHIT!" Kakashi sprang out of his chair, glancing around. Where the fuck had that come from? The voice was vaguely male sounding and boomed like thunder.

"Uh… Kakashi?" Obito looked at him like he was crazy.

"You didn't hear that?" Maybe he _wasn't_ ready to leave the hospital…

**Of course they didn't. What are you, some kind of idiot?**

Wait. It wasn't… oh fuck no. Come _on._

"What else do you want from me?"

**I ****_want_**** to get out of such a stupid vessel for one. But I'm not interested in talking to a human. You just tell that nine- tailed bastard that he's going down.**

"Wait. You _just_ figured out she has the fox? We talked about that. Yesterday." Was it a good idea to talk to a demon? Probably not.

**You think I stay awake for all your petty human bullshit? Like I said. You don't interest me. Other than that I'm going to take down this half-assed seal and rip you and this whole human nest to shreds. **

"I'd like to see you try," he said darkly. But the heaviness in his chest dissipated, and he became aware of the other people in the room staring at him like he'd grown another head.

"Kakashi? What was that?" Obito asked hesitantly.

"Kushina," he said, ignoring him, "it was _talking_ to me. The Sanbi. Well not to me but. Is that normal?"

She looked about as dumbfounded as he felt. "Sometimes the Kyuubi does. Not like that though, only when I'm in my mindscape."

"Your what?"

"Where the cage is."

"Oh, that place." Kakashi sat back down. There was a chance he was going to throw up.

"You were talking to Turtle-san? What did he say?" Obito interrupted, looking half excited and half terrified.

"That he wants to fight Kushina? Well, the Kyuubi. Also he says that he's gonna break the seal and destroy the country."

"Well you tell _him_ that we're gonna seal him up for good!" Declared Obito, pointing to Kakashi and puffing out his chest. "And I'll kick his butt!"

"Too late. He went back to sleep. But that's not the point. Kushina-san, does this mean there's something wrong with the seal?"

"I..." she half-laughed, "...don't know? It probably has to do with your seal being unstable, but your seal and Bijuu are also both different from mine. And I've never met another Jinchuuriki besides Mito-sama so…"

Kakashi exhaled. Just once he'd like to get a definite answer.

As they approached the shinobi graveyard, any semblance of a lighter mood dissipated. Kakashi wondered if they'd all been avoiding talking about Rin for each other's sakes or their own. Silence was heavy as they walked. Though he'd insisted that he didn't need a wheelchair or crutches Kakashi was starting to lag a little despite himself. Any other day he probably wouldn't be allowed to leave the hospital yet. Half way there, without a word, Obito grabbed his wrist and slung Kakashi's arm over his shoulders.

"Hey, I can..." He trailed off. Obito half-dragged him forward, face fixed in a resolute expression he hadn't seen before. No, he had once. When they went to save Rin almost a year ago.

Not another word was spoken until they arrived at the cemetery. They weren't late but a crowd was already gathered. Many were in the shinobi funeral uniform, mostly their classmates, but a good portion were in fancy dark kimonos. Rin was from a family of doctors, civilian ones. A few times she'd complained about her father criticizing her decision to work in the field rather than the hospital.

"You do a lot of good in a hospital," Kakashi remembered her saying, dimly smiling, "But it's not always enough, especially with the war how it is. I became a medic to save lives and if I have to put myself in danger by working in the field to do that, then so be it. Besides _someone_ has to take care of you guys."

That was before Obito had been crushed by boulders. Back then all he'd seen in Rin was a mutually beneficial relationship where he kept her safe and she healed him in return. A warrior-medic partnership Kakashi never once questioned as anything more than business. Never had he thought of going out of his way to bond with her back then, primarily because he didn't think he was _supposed_ to.

She never should have been assigned to his team. Rin should have lived a long life safe in the village, away from him and away from the war.

As they approached, Minato and Kushina in front of them, people turned and bowed somberly to the Hokage and his wife. Kakashi kept his gaze downward to avoid meeting anyone's eyes. Still he could hear the whispers that followed them. Obito and he must've made quite the sight- one thought dead, the other looking half-dead. Kakashi probably deserved their stares, but if anyone said a word to Obito he felt likely to rip their throats out. How much did everyone know about what had happened? Him being a Jinchuuriki was a secret, but what about the rest? Did they know that Rin had rescued him from Kiri? That she was the hero that protected the village from him? Or that he was the one that killed her?

"Kakashi." It was Asuma, with Kurenai, Gai, and a few others their age. Kakashi paused but didn't say anything.

"Hi everyone," Obito said morosely but Asuma didn't even look at him.

"Is it true?" The ex-Hokage's son voice shook with tension. "What they're saying? Did you…?"

Kakashi's jaw clenched; that answered that question. Anger and guilt boiled inside of him unnaturally hot. No. He wasn't losing it here, not at Rin's funeral.

"Hey! Answer me!" Asuma grabbed his wrist when Kakashi tried to walk away. "Just tell me what I heard is wrong. That you would never do that to her."

The grip on his arm was like iron. Dammit, couldn't he just leave him _alone?_ The Sanbi's chakra boiled just below the surface of his mind and why was Asuma making this so hard?

"Leave him al-" Obito came to his defense, but Kakashi looked Asuma in the eye and interrupted him.

"Yes. If you're asking if I killed Rin. It's true." He kept his voice still. Somehow Kakashi had the feeling if he wavered an inch he would lose it, not that he had the right to run away from this now.

"No… way." Kurenai put her hands over her mouth. Gai stared hard at the ground and Asuma's grip on his wrist tightened like a vice.

"Bastard! How could you? Why?"

"Hey guys, everyone just calm down," Obito said tentatively as he put himself between Kakashi and the others. "We can't do this here."

"Obito, you were there weren't you? What really happened? Kakashi doesn't mean that, right?" asked Kurenai, looking shaken. Gai was still uncharacteristically quiet.

"What happened is need-to-know," snapped the Jinchuuriki with more venom than he intended, or maybe he did intend it. He ripped his arm from Asuma's grip. "You don't need to know." Then Kakashi stalked off before he did something to make Minato-sensei kick him out.

Behind him he heard Obito's voice apologizing. "It really is a secret. I'm sorry. I was there but I still couldn't save her… sorry." He caught up with Kakashi, who hadn't expected him to follow him but didn't protest. There was only silence until Kakashi's chest stopped burning and the funeral began.

Though it was an early summer morning, there was a briskness in the wind. Kakashi shivered and glanced at Obito standing tensely beside him. It was a shinobi funeral like a hundred he'd been to before, just with the addition of a monk speaking beforehand, courtesy of Rin's family. Kakashi wondered if she ever even believed in that stuff, spirits and reincarnation and all that. He wasn't really listening to it either way. Even when he didn't feel about to faint funerals were never his thing. Mourning couldn't be finished all in one succinct ceremony, in his experience at least.

Even when it was Minato's turn to speak he only caught the last few lines.

"... never easy. But Rin lived to help people, and died saving the teammates and village she cared deeply about. With that, if nothing else, we have to learn to be content."

Then, one by one, everyone was handed a white flower to place in front of her picture. First was her family: a man, woman, and two little boys all bearing Rin's same purple tattoos. The man, probably her father, sent him a dark glare Kakashi could barely bring himself to meet. Her decision or not, Rin still went back for _him_ and was killed by _him_. Not everyone was willing to forgive that as easily as Minato and Obito had.

As tradition states her team was next. Minato went first and Kakashi had barely taken three steps behind him before the world was spinning and blackening.

Obito caught him before he hit the ground. Like before he heaved him up and supported him.

"Sorry Obito, I… sorry." The words came out heavier than expected. His friend helped him to the growing pile of flowers that they added their own to, heads bowed.

"The whole time I was… gone, you guys were the only thing keeping me going. Rin, you, Sensei- you were my rays of light." They settled back into line and watched others give their final farewells to Rin.

"When I finally found you, and saw Rin die, it was like all the light in the world had gone out. I killed the rest of the Kiri-nin like it was nothing. Their lives didn't matter anymore. Nothing did. I was sure I was in hell. But then... but then you woke up. You were alive. Suddenly there was a little bit of light in all that darkness. I think I realized something. When you're alone, all you can think about is dying. But when there's someone else, all you can think about is surviving."

Obito's eye bore into him, a mirror image of his own. There were tear tracks down both cheeks. "So that's what we're gonna do. We're both going to live. I'm going to learn to control this wood power, and you're gonna kick that damn turtle's ass. Without Rin those Kiri bastards would've made him go wild on the village for sure, right? We're not gonna let what she did go to waste. We have to, or else... I don't know what I'm gonna do." His voice broke on the last syllable and he choked up. Not that there was much left to say.

"Okay. We'll do it." Kakashi responded. His voice wasn't able to reflect much of the determination he was starting to feel. Rin may have been the one impaled by the Sanbi's attack, but Kakashi was who felt like there was a hole through his chest.

Maybe Kushina was right. Maybe there was a way to fill the emptiness in his seal and in his heart. He could only hope.

After the service he asked Obito to help him to a nearby tree to rest while the Uchiha mingled with the crowd. He figured that after so long away he'd want to talk to their age-mates, even when they probably all hated Kakashi. That and the white-haired boy was exhausted in a lot of ways and just wanted to take a nap. From afar he watched Obito tentatively approach Asuma and Kurenai.

"I'm sorry for the loss. Konoha is always in need of more fine medical staff."

Kakashi scrambled up to a stand less than gracefully.

"Danzo-sama."

The older man's eye looked like it was gazing straight through him and he shivered.

"Hatake Kakashi, correct? You shouldn't strain yourself in your condition."

"Ah, yes sir." He put a hand on the tree to support himself.

"I assume you are aware that the responsibility you now bear is not one to be taken lightly?"

Danzo was on the council so of course he knew about the Sanbi. Really Kakashi wasn't surprised that he was being approached by a Konoha leader.

"Of course."

"Power like a tailed-beast's has to be handled carefully," Danzo continued, gazing at the crowd still gathered around Rin's grave. "A Jinchuuriki can be a danger to their village if not trained correctly. However, they can also become a weapon more powerful than any other." He paused.

"Uzumaki Kushina-san has spent her life doing neither of those things. The intention of the Third was for her to protect and control it, never taking the risk of trying to utilize that power. Her role has been of a cage and nothing more. But you must have seen the raw power that the Sanbi possesses."

Kakashi nodded slowly. Half-hazy though he was about it, he remembered the ease with which he mowed down the Kirigakure soldiers.

"You're saying I could learn to control its power? And use it?"

"Yes. Rather than simply containing it, if you were able to bring the beast completely under your control, you could become more powerful than anyone. Wars like this one that killed so many could be ended quickly. You would never have to worry about losing control or striking out against your comrades. Of course, taming a Bijuu is not without risk of its own. Specialized knowledge, a safe place to train, a method of controlling it- all these are essential."

"And you… have those things? You know how to train a Jinchuuriki?"

The man nodded gravely. Controlling the Sanbi, seizing its power instead of living in fear of it. It was an appealing prospect to say the least.

"If you ever want to become a boon to your village, rather than simply preventing disaster, let me know. I'll be waiting."

"I'll keep it in mind. Thank you." Kakashi bowed and Danzo disappeared. He slid down the trunk of the tree. If what Danzo said was really possible, there was nothing he couldn't do. He could protect the village, Obito, everyone.

"Kakashi? What did Lord Danzo want?" Minato asked, walking up to him. His voice was a little guarded.

"Just sending his condolences. And wishing me luck on my resealing." Kakashi lied almost reflexively. How he dealt with his beast was his business in the end, wasn't it?

"Alright then. Speaking of, we're leaving soon. I got us a medical carriage so you won't have to walk the whole way. Kushina and Obito should be ready soon."

Kakashi nodded. First things first he needed a reliable seal, _then_ he'd decide how to use it.

* * *

I should add that when I post a new chapter I often update older chapters with freshly-edited versions. Almost always it's just wording and minor changes like that, and I won't ever change something that adds or subtracts from the plot in any significant way. I always want my stories to be improving so this is just a heads up.

Also- there's another Jinchuuriki Kakashi fic on AO3 that also has him with marks along his jawline like the Sanbi's, and it in a way inspired Kakashi's marks in this. Here though the marks are going to work differently and serve a really different purpose, but I thought I'd put it out there anyway. The fic is called Drops in the Bucket ( /works/1476808) and I highly recommend it!

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	6. Heroes and Fathers

Author: quietbun

* * *

**Chapter 6: Heroes and Fathers**

Obito finished talking to Asuma and Kurenai, telling them that he was a little worn out from not having slept very well last night and was going to go take a break with Kakashi under the tree. He was getting tired of talking anyways. So many people had tried to offer their condolences it left his head spinning. Most of them made him just angry. They didn't even know Rin, so why were they offering their half-assed apologies? They hadn't even bothered to get to know her while she was alive. Honestly he just wanted to sit in the shade and go to sleep. He was turning to where he saw Kakashi talking to Minato-sensei when someone grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Hey Ayato! Where are you going, we were gonna- holy shit." The boy who grabbed him looked like he was a year or two younger than himself. He clearly had thought Obito was someone else, and was taken aback by… his scars. Obito watched as his expression turned from a bright grin to a look of horror and confusion. He felt a lump form in his throat as the boy continued to stare at him.

"What happened to your face?" Obito hardly registered what he was saying. Did he really look that bad? Is that what people thought when they saw him? Were they disgusted with him? His hands clenched into tight fists and he resisted the urge to turn and run as fast he could, humiliation coloring his cheeks. _Don't cry, don't do it_, he silently willed himself, hoping the boy would just. Go. Away. Why didn't he just go _away?_ He didn't know what to say to the boy but his hands were trembling slightly. Obito's brain reeled and he felt like he was falling. For a moment he saw the world blur around and around, but right before the spinning completely fogged over his vision he felt someone grasp his hand and pull him back to reality, solidifying him.

His eye shot to the silver haired boy suddenly standing next to him gripping his hand tightly.

"Kakashi?!" His teammate looked pained but nodded, his eye not wavering from the startled brown eyes of the other boy. His glare was cold and unforgiving and the boy quickly shrunk back under it.

"Do you need something from my teammate?" His tone was icy and Obito felt a chill run down his spine. Kakashi was _really_ scary when he got mad. The boy paled and fled quickly.

"Kakashi! I thought you were resting? What are you doing up?" A cold sweat had already broken out over Kakashi's brow.

"I was. You were just taking too long so I figured I had to come drag your ass back." He panted softly. Obito knew he probably heard what the boy had said and came to his "rescue", but he was grateful to Kakashi for not bringing it up. He glanced back down at him after watching the boy leave and realized Kakashi was looking down at their interlocked hands, which Obito was still clutching tightly. Face turning crimson red he yanked back his hand, spluttering out apologies. He wondered why his heart was beating so hard and summed it up to adrenaline from the incident.

He helped Kakashi walk back towards the tree he had been sitting under, Obito plopping down next to him and both of them taking a shaky breath. The silence between them was awkward, like they should say something but neither of them knew what that was. Obito hadn't talked to anyone other than the White Zetsus and Madara in almost a year so his social skills were rusty at best while Kakashi had never been good with people to begin with.

"So um-"

"Hey-" They both said at the same time, stopping and staring at each other.

"You can go." Obito said with a warm grin and Kakashi looked away awkwardly and nodded.

"Well… We haven't really talked much since… The bridge, and we never were really friends before then. I always thought you were just an annoyance before but since you saved my life twice now I should probably try to get to know you better. Or at least that's what Sensei told me to do. And what Rin would've wanted." Kakashi mumbled awkwardly. Obito had to force himself not to laugh at what was probably the closest he would get as an apology from Kakashi for the way he had treated him in the past.

"Don't hurt yourself Bakakashi!" Obito teased. "There isn't a requirement that you have to know someone really well before you can be friends. Besides we were always friends! Even when you were being a jackass." He nudged his side playfully. Kakashi was silent, staring at his hands and Obito began to worry he had offended him. He broke the silence with a question that he could tell had been weighing on him for a long time.

"My father. The White Fang. Did you really think he was a hero?" Blunt, Obito thought with a wince, but his reply was without hesitation.

"Yes. Definitely."

"Why?"

"Because he saved his comrades despite the stupid rule. And he came back home to his son." There was a hint of bitterness in his words. "I think he definitely was a hero."

After a moment Kakashi spoke. "What about your father? Do you think he was a hero?" Obito wasn't really sure how to answer honestly, but the question brought up a memory Obito had been trying for a long time to forget.

He was about eight at the time, and he was watching his dad pack his stuff for a mission.

"Dad! When are you gonna be home? You're not gonna be gone long right? You know you still owe me ramen from that one time I hit a can with my kunai!"

"I know Bito, I know. I won't be gone for long, two days at the most." He ruffled his son's spiky black hair affectionately. "And when I get back we'll definitely get ramen together. That's a promise." He said holding out his pinky finger and interlocking it with Obito's considerably smaller finger.

"A promise!" the nine year old repeated gleefully. His father had laughed along with Obito and scooped him up, placing him on his shoulders as he finished packing his belongings and made his way towards the North gates.

"Take good care of your mother for me while I'm gone and try not to cause too much trouble alright?"

"I wiiiiill!" Obito rolled his eyes behind his orange goggles, as if to say 'no duh dad!' He gave his dad a tight hug and a lopsided grin when his dad set him down, and Obito waved his father and his father's team off at the gate.

He had never returned from that mission.

Obito waited, day after day, his eyes glued to the door, each time someone walked by his eyes would shoot up, expecting it to be his dad and being disappointed every time.

A man that Obito remembered being on his father's team arrived at their doorstep after five long days of waiting. His eyes we're dark and full of sorrow as he avoided Obito's gaze and demands of where his dad was. He spoke with his mom, offering her words of condolence, saying things like "He's a hero" and "he sacrificed himself to save us".

"LIAR!" Obito had screamed at him, tears blurring his vision. "He's definitely going to come back! He promised!" His voice wobbled on the edge of a sob and he turned and bolted out the door.

"Obito!" His mother had shrieked, lunging after him after him, but he was already gone. Obito ran to a stone bench and collapsed down onto it, curling up and wrapping his arms around his knees and letting the sobs tumble out.

"Euugh..." He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that dad was gone. More pitiful sobs escaping.

"Are you ok?" A light voice asked him and he looked up, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. It was a girl, with short brown hair and purple rectangles on her face that he recognized from the Academy. Obito ducked his head so she couldn't see him crying. He hoped she would leave him alone, and keep walking, but instead she sat down next to him on the bench and wrapped her arm around him.

"I don't know what happened but it's gonna be alright, it's ok to cry." Obito had always been made fun of for being a cry baby, and this girls words reminded him of his father's own words. When Obito looked back up into her kind eyes he suddenly didn't feel so sad anymore.

Obito stopped himself from going further into that memory and shrugged.

"He was a hero to the village, with his name is carved into the memorial stone and everything. He died protecting his comrades but I still wish he hadn't died at all." Obito couldn't tell if his voice was bitter or lonely. Probably both. Kakashi nodded and was silent again, but this time it was peaceful instead of awkward. Obito fidgeted, unsure if he was supposed to break the silence or not. Kakashi seemed content to stay silent… but he always was, Obito thought wryly. He watched the clouds pass by, and tried to think what animals they looked like.

"Hey Bakakashi, do you think that cloud looks kinda like a puppy?"

"I don't see it."

"That's 'cause you're looking at it the wrong way. Look over here." Obito scooted closer to Kakashi, practically sitting on his lap, to point up to the sky and tilt his head in the right angle. "See? That's the head and that's the curly tail Do you see it now?"

"Yeah I do, but you're kinda crushing me right now." The smaller boy wheezed, a hint of pink creeping up from under his mask.

"Whoa! Yeah sorry! I just- uh. Yeah, um sorry." Obito blushed also, springing off of Kakashi and looking back up at the sky and trying not to pretend that his face wasn't turning bright red.

"That one looks sorta like a butterfly." Kakashi mused after several tense moments, and a bright grin broke out over Obito's face.

Minato sensei returned to find the two boys leaning against the tree, Obito and Kakashi staring up at the sky, Obito pointing and gesticulating wildly at the clouds while his silver haired companion watched calmly. The Hokage shared a small smile with himself, glad to see the boys we're finally getting along. Rin would be happy if she could see this now.

"The carriage is ready boys. Are you ready to go?"

"Yeah! But can I go do one thing before we go? I'll catch up to you guys in like five minutes!" Obito said, glancing back at the graveyard. Minato raised an eyebrow but nodded; he had an idea of where the young boy was running off to.

An ANBU team was waiting for them at the West gates; they seemed agitated from having been waiting so long but Minato wasn't worried. He had helped Kakashi get into the carriage earlier, noting how exhausted he must have been to not even protest at being helped, and was now waiting for the final member of their party to arrive. Thirty minutes later Obito came running after them, lollipop in mouth and yelling apologies for his tardiness. It was a scene Minato thought he would never see again, but damn was he glad he could now.

"You're late." Kakashi accused weakly, and Minato swore he could see a ghost of a smile underneath his mask.

"Sorry! I had to leave a flower at my mom and dad's graves."

"Then where'd you get that lollipop? Huh punk?" Kushina butted in, giving Obito a glare for being late.

"I had to help an old lady carry her groceries! She gave me this as thanks!" Good to know Obito's sweet tooth hadn't been curbed and his compassion for the elderly was just as strong. He scrambled into the carriage and gave the ANBU team apologetic grins as he did.

Minato reclined back into his seat next to his wife, interlocking his fingers with hers.

The carriage kicked off with a shudder and Minato-sensei pulled out some paperwork while Obito eyed the pile wearily. Maybe he didn't want to be Hokage after all.

He scooted closer to Kakashi once more, but this time keeping a safe distance, remembering how fast his heart had been beating earlier. Maybe he reacted weirdly to Kakashi's chakra and it made his heart beat too fast and his stomach do flip flops. Yeah. Definitely his new chakra.

"So Kakashi. When were you going to tell me that my name is written on the memorial stone?" Obito said with a smug grin. He had visited the stone to leave a flower for his dad, when he got caught up in reading all the other names and found his own name carved there. It was like seeing your own ghost, or attending your own funeral.

"I didn't think you needed that boost to your ego."

"Rude! I'll let it slide, but I have one question. How does it feel to be in the presence of a Konoha hero?" Kakashi rolled his eye and sighed while Obito cackled.

It didn't take long for Obito to get bored, fidgeting and shifting in his seat. Sensei was filling out papers, Kushina was knitting, and of course Kakashi was out cold, sleeping soundly- more or less, with the occasional grunt or twitch from a dream- against the side of the carriage. His forehead protector was pulled down over his eyes like an eye mask. Obito knew better than to wake him up, he was still healing after all, but god he wished he was awake so they could talk or play cards or _something_. He was getting stir crazy, tapping his leg and watching outside the window intently, scanning for familiar landmarks.

"Are we there yet Sensei?"

"Obito we have been riding for thirty minutes and the manor is hours away." The impatient teen groaned in response. It was totally possible to die of boredom, and that was how he was going to die.

"I'mmmmm booooored," he whined melodramatically, and Sensei gave a sigh of a long-suffering man.

"Well would you like to do my paperwork?"

"No. Why would I want to do that?"

"Then why don't you walk? You're _more_ than welcome to." The way Sensei stressed the word made Obito think he was a little more than irritated. He gulped.

"No Sensei, sorry Sensei." Minato gave a curt nod and went back to his papers, Obito could imagine how difficult it must be for him right now, having to completely relocate while still running the village. It sounded like a lot of work, work you'll have to do if you become Hokage one day, he thought, steeling himself and his ambition.

"Why can't you be well behaved like Kakashi?" Kushina snapped, gesturing at the sleeping boy with one of her knitting needles. It might have been his imagination my Obito could have sworn he saw Kakashi smirk ever so slightly under his dark blue mask.

"Because he's asleep! He's also a boring stick in the mud who hates fun." Obito harrumphed, crossing his arms and flopping back into his seat; he hadn't even noticed how far forward he'd been leaning.

"Then why don't you try to take a nap too? I'm sure you're exhausted from the service, and even though the hospital let you out you should still be careful and get plenty of rest." Kushina said, and while Obito hated getting lectured a nap did sound pretty good. He hadn't slept all that well last night or any of the past nights for that matter.

"Alright alright, but only because it'll make time pass faster." Obito sassed, and he leaned against the window, trying to get comfortable, but his head banged against the glass with every bump in the road, the kanzashi tinkling. He eyed Kakashi's shoulder, which looked considerably more comfortable than the side of the window, and weighed his options. If Kakashi woke up while he was still asleep on him Obito would most likely die of embarrassment. On the other hand there was almost no way he was going to fall asleep using the side of the carriage as a pillow, and he feared if he stayed awake any longer Minato would throw him out and make him walk the whole way. In the end he decided to swallow his pride and leaned his head against Kakashi's shoulder and closed his eyes. His heart was beating fast once more, but he already felt safer and at peace. I'll just wake up before Kakashi does, Obito told himself.

* * *

Short chapter this time but a cute one, right? Quietbun strikes again.

Also because this has come up in a few reviews- Yes, we did decide that Rin would die very early on in the planning for this story. There were a lot of reasons behind that and it was a hard decision, especially because we both absolutely love Rin. I did my best to make her a stronger and more developed character than she is in canon (which is not very much at all honestly), and her legacy will matter to the rest of the story. Just to be clear we did not kill her so the boys could have Mangekyo, and we absolutely did NOT kill her for KakaObi.

Thanks for reading!

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	7. Authority of the Gods

Author: esthete-of-the-world

* * *

**Chapter 7: Authority of the Gods**

Kakashi drifted awake gradually. A fever was heating up his brain again and his throat ached with dryness, but he tried to go back to sleep anyway. The carriage creaked and groaned but something pleasantly warm was pressed up to his side. Kakashi was about to just accept it and open his eye when Minato sighed.

"Nothing. This is one of the most valuable scrolls we've ever gotten from Kirigakure, and not one mention of Jinchuuriki or the three-tails."

"Jiraiya-sama will find it, Minato. He's the most talented intel agent on the continent. He'll find that seal, just you wait."

"I know Kushina… I just feel so helpless. Sensei's out doing all the work and all I can do is try to keep everyone else off their backs. I couldn't even keep my own students safe in the first place. What kind of Hokage am I?"

"Hey enough of that talk! You're a wonderful Hokage and a great teacher, you hear me? What happened with Rin-chan wasn't your fault. Thanks to her they were able to come back alive and we need to focus on that. Sure, they both came back with some, uh, additions, but they're alive!"

Minato-sensei laughed weakly. "Additions are one way to put it. Kakashi may have the most immediately dangerous problem, but both of them have a long road ahead of them. Do you know how long the Leaf tried to bring back the Mokuton before the experiments had to be shut down? We don't know who made Obito the artificial part of his body, or even how they did it. But no matter what kind of procedure they used the First's cells won't accept just anybody. It really is a miracle he was able to survive."

"I always _told_ you he was special, _dattebane!_"

"Quiet Kushina, they're sleeping!"

"Hehe, right… You know, they just look like regular boys napping like that. But from now on, neither of them will really ever be normal. Not even by shinobi standards."

"I don't remember you ever being "normal" Kushina, and it suited you just fine."

"I know! I never said it was a bad thing! Just... a little lonely, sometimes."

"Well you said it yourself, we just need to fill them with love. They'll need lots of support, both of them, from us and from each other."

Kushina snorted, "I think they'll be getting _plenty_ of support from each other, if how they're snuggled up is anything to go by."

"Hey, don't tease! They hated each other until Kannabi remember?"

"We didn't like each other when _we_ were young either."

"For the record _I_ always liked you. You were the one who called me a weakling all the time."

"For the _record_ you _were_ a weakling there for a while. But still, I think they will be great partners. Kakashi's going to have a rough time as a Jinchuuriki, but Obito has the Sharingan and the Mokuton. He's practically built to control Bijuu. They'll be unstoppable one day."

"Unstoppable, huh? You know together, they just might be."

They were quiet again after that. Kakashi dozed and thought about what Kushina had said. Obito the lazy, perpetually late idiot as his partner? The idea was crazy but appealing. He knew he could trust Obito with his life- he'd already saved it twice over. And if his Wood style and Sharingan could control the Sanbi maybe he wouldn't hurt anyone. Kakashi was still kind of confused about the whole "support" thing though. Yeah he understood the concept of being there for your comrades… but the way Kushina put it made him think that wasn't what she was talking about? He'd ask Minato-sensei about it later.

Just as he was beginning to nod off again the carriage jolted violently and Kakashi jumped, hiking his hia-ate onto his forehead. Something flopped into his lap. Obito, who he realized had been sleeping on his shoulder, mumbled sleepily then froze.

"ACK! SORRY!" He yelped, leaping to the other side of the bench. His face was bright red.

"It's... alright?" Kakashi wasn't the biggest fan of people touching him but it wasn't that big a deal. In fact it didn't bother him much at all, because Obito was warm and his stubborn-as-fuck fever was still making him shiver.

"Just! Sorry. Um. Yeah. The door is uncomfortable to sleep on so… sorry."

"... it's fine."

Obito sat on the very edge of the seat, almost pressed against the window. Kushina looked amused at the whole thing; Kakashi still wasn't sure why. Maybe she knew why Obito was acting weird?

"So Sensei, are we close yet?" Kakashi asked to break the for-some-reason uncomfortable silence.

"We're about an hour out. You two were asleep for a while."

"Aww, an hour still?" Obito whined.

"You don't have a right to complain," Kakashi said, pulling his knees to his chest in a futile attempt to get warm, "If you hadn't held us up for so long we'd be there by now."

"Hey! I wasn't that late!"

"Yeah. You were."

"I can't believe you're still such a jerk."

"Knock it off you two," Minato admonished, and Kakashi was quiet. Before it had always been Rin to play peacemaker between them. Obito shut his mouth too, still crunched up against the opposite side of the carriage, pouting. Sure he may have the Sharingan and Mokuton now, but Obito was still the same idiot as always. The thought would be almost comforting if said idiot wasn't supposed to help him tame a fucking demon. Would Obito really be able to handle him? "Unstoppable team" indeed. He _did_ want to be able to pair up with him… but maybe Minato-sensei and Kushina were being a little too optimistic about it.

After that Kakashi just tried to fall asleep again. Obito was still being weird and avoiding him, Kushina had this strange bemused look on her face and he really just wanted out of this situation. If he physically could he'd get out and walk but as things stood all Kakashi could do was nap.

When he woke again it was to an ex-Uchiha shaking his shoulder. Kakashi blinked his good eye and sat up. Sensei's Hokage cloak was around his shoulders and he pulled it tighter.

"What are you looking at?" Kakashi asked irritably. First Obito wakes him up, then he just stares at him, face a little flushed. Did he get Obito sick after all?

"Nothing!" His voice was more high-pitched than usual. "Just we're here. Sensei and Kushina went ahead with some ANBU to make sure it's all clear. And I was gonna show you where your room is."

"Do I have to get up?" Kakashi definitely didn't whine, at all.

Obito laughed at him. "Yeah. Good thing you're in the _hime_ room because you're such a drama queen."

"The what room?"

"The princess room. It's for the like clan leader's daughter or niece or whoever. I think the last one to stay there was Mikoto-san right before she got married."

Right, they're putting him in the most defendable room. Kakashi hoped it was secure from the outside _and_ the inside. "Lead the way then. I want to go back to sleep." Kakashi got out of the carriage a little shakily, Minato's cloak trailing behind him. Maybe he should show a little more respect to the symbol of Konoha's shinobi leadership. Nah, too tired.

"You want to go to bed already? We just got here! The sun _just_ went down and you were asleep _all day!_" Obito pointed at the sky as if that supported his point, even though by the position of the moon it had been dark a good half hour already.

"Just show me where the room is," _before I pass out_, he added silently. He was feeling a little wobbly but he was determined to get there without any help. Kakashi was _not_ going to look that pathetic in front of Obito.

The Uchiha summer manor was the biggest building the Jonin had ever seen, second only to the Daimyo's castle and that he'd only seen from a distance. The carriage had been parked outside a formidable wall surrounding the estate. A gravel walkway stretched in front of them over bridges and past koi ponds until finally meeting the building proper. No one was in sight but Kakashi could vaguely smell the trails of people who'd entered already.

"You… wanna take a break or something?" Obito asked after a few laboriously slow minutes. Fuck the Uchiha and their ridiculously huge summer houses and stupid hundred mile long gardens.

"No, I can do-" A wave of nausea hit him and he tripped. Before Kakashi could fall Obito was there, catching him on his back. Kakashi slapped a hand over his mouth, tasting rancid water and trying not to throw up. God this was humiliating. Why did it have to be _Obito_ there to see him like this? Fucking Sanbi was trying to steal his dignity before it killed him. At the thought Kakashi thought he felt something shift in the back of his mind and he scowled.

"Alright, that's it," his friend said determinedly, grabbing him under his thighs. Oh no.

"Wait wait wait, hold on Obito-"

"Shizune told me that if I get you sicker she'll make _sure_ that I end up in bed too. I'm carrying you." Obito hoisted him up, Kakashi barely keeping the Hokage's robe around his shoulders. He buried his burning face in Obito's shoulder. This had to one of the most mortifying things to ever happen to him, and that included some "competitions" with Gai that would _never_ be spoken of. At least Obito's back was warm. For the first time in what seemed like ages his shivering stopped.

"Geez Bakakashi, you're so light! What are you made of, feathers?" Teased Obito.

"Shut up," Kakashi mumbled into his back. "I haven't eaten in a few days."

"Well you feel like you haven't eaten in months. Did you get smaller while I was away?"

"Idiot. No, you just got bigger. Using Mokuton to grow is cheating."

"It is not cheating! I grew four honest inches this last year, doctors said so."

"I grew too."

"Really. How much?"

Kakashi didn't answer.

"Ha, you're such a liar."

"I didn't even say anything."

"I'm always going to be taller than you Kakashi. Just accept it."

"That's ridiculous. You're older than me and I haven't had my growth spurt yet."

"You just keep telling yourself that."

"I can still beat you in a fight."

Obito turned his good eye at him and grinned cheekily, "Right, and who's carrying who again?"

"Not right now. Obviously. Stupid. Shut up." Kakashi hid his face that was just red because he had a fever. That's probably why he was having such a stupid conversation too. The fever. Right.

"Here's your quarters _Kakashi-hime_," Obito mocked, sliding open a door decorated with delicate pink sakura blossoms. The room was made of pale wood and the walls were painted with springtime nature scenes. One wall was made up of screen doors, opening to a moonlit courtyard and a pond. Another wall had two closed doors in it, with a dresser between them. A low-set couch facing a table was on one side of the room, across from large bed and nightstand with a tray of food and water on it. Obito set him down gently on the bed's pale pink and red silks. Kakashi made short work of stripping off Sensei's cloak, his hia-ate, and shoes. He wished he had something else to wear besides his funeral clothes. Obito hovered awkwardly, looking at the painted fans hanging from the wall.

"Where are you staying then?" The Jinchuuriki asked, half hoping he would leave so Kakashi could eat and go to sleep.

"Well Sensei and Kushina-san got the master bedroom, and Shizune took the other good room across the courtyard… I was thinking I'd take that one," he jabbed a thumb at one of the doors in the room.

"That's a bedroom?" Kakashi slid under the cool silk blankets and wished they were thicker.

"Uh, yeah. Traditionally it's for the princess's bodyguard or maidservant, but it's actually really nice. And I'm supposed to stay near you to help keep you under control so… guess I'm your bodyguard, _Hime-sama._"

It probably wasn't possible to put more sarcasm into the word, but despite his teasing Obito turned red. Kakashi wasn't completely sure why.

"Yeah yeah you idiot. Now will you leave me alone so I can go to sleep?"

"As you wish," he grinned, bowing deeply. Kakashi chucked a decorative pillow at his head and he finally left, chuckling.

When he was gone Kakashi tugged down his mask and chugged the entire pitcher of water, picked all the vegetables out of the food, took the pills that were left for him and tried to fall asleep. Despite his exhaustion he couldn't relax. It had been a long day. Between Rin's funeral, Danzo, Sanbi, the long carriage ride and Obito acting strangely- it was a lot to process. At least the three-tails had been quiet most of the day. Kakashi wondered if that was a good thing, or if it was just biding its time.

After some time tossing and turning, a bath started to sound amazing for some reason. It had been ages since he'd had a proper one. Kakashi got up and investigated the other door in his room, and found had his own huge, spotlessly clean bathroom. On a shelf was a folded pile of his clothes that someone must've packed for him. To have his stuff set out already the Uchiha must have servants there year round, and good ones at that. Kakashi had never stayed anywhere with its own serving staff but wasn't opposed to taking advantage of it.

After scrubbing himself almost raw (he swore he could still feel blood matted in his hair and on his hands) he tried to just relax and not think too hard about the day. Not that that was entirely possible. Kakashi knew he had stay as calm as possible so just he settled into his steaming hot bath, trying to sift through the day with some sort of logical detachedness. But it wasn't long after he hit the water that he was nodding off. Kakashi decided to get out before he fell asleep in the tub. God, that would be embarrassing. He got dressed in a sleeveless black shirt with a mask attached and some boxers and crawled into the silken bed, clocking out immediately.

"Kakashi? Hey. Kakashi. Wake up."

"Wha-what?" Kakashi sprang up, startled out of a dream, hearing splashing and feeling cold water running down one side of his face. Had Obito spilled water on- oh. Oh. He was. In the bath. What they fuck? Why was he…? His clothes were still on?

Obito looked like he was trying his hardest not to bust a lung laughing.

"Uh, good morning. Are you… having a nice bath?"

"I. I don't remember how I got here," Kakashi tried to sit up and retain some sense of dignity. He'd fallen asleep partly in the water which only made it worse. One side of his hair had dried funny and was sticking up and the other half was plastered to his face. The water was freezing. He pushed the sopping hair out of his good eye.

"Did you sleep here?"

"I… think so?"

"Oh. I see." Obito was able to keep a straight face for a few more seconds before his mouth twisted and he descended into hooting laughter. "I can't- believe. You fell asleep," he managed between breaths, "In the tub. With your _clothes on_. Pft hahahaha. You look. _Ridiculous_."

"Shut up, idiot. I didn't mean to." snapped Kakashi, standing up and grabbing a towel. Being half drenched somehow made it more uncomfortable. Shivering violently, he wrapped the towel around his shoulders and pulled the plug out of the bottom of the tub.

"I know. It's still. So funny." Obito rested his hands on his knees like it was taking a physical effort to laugh at him that hard. "The genius Jonin Kakashi looks like a drowned rat. Oh gosh I wish I had a camera."

"Fuck off." Getting out of the freezing water made him feel worse and Kakashi wavered a little stepping out of the tub, dripping like. Well. A drowned rat. Fuck you Obito Uchiha.

"Okay. Okay sorry. I'm done," Obito managed, wiping tears out of his eyes. "Do you need a change of clothes or something?"

Kakashi glowered at him.

"Geez, sensitive. But seriously, how did you run a bath in your sleep? I didn't know you sleepwalk."

"I _don't_ sleepwalk. I took a bath last night before I went to bed. And then, forgot to drain it, and got back in I guess. Now will you get out? I'd like to get dry clothes on."

"Yeah okay. Okay. I actually came in to tell you they're putting lunch away. I kinda freaked out when you weren't in your bed."

Kakashi sat down and tried to rub some water out of his hair. "The ANBU would've noticed if I left my room. And even you could tell if they'd all been killed or something."

"ANBU are guarding your room?"

"Yeah. Can't you sense them? And didn't I tell you to leave?"

"Grr… you win this round, Bakakashi. I'll be back later. Don't fall asleep in the tub again!"

"I'm not going to."

Obito grinned and left. After a moment Kakashi exhaled loudly, changing his clothes and drying his hair. Why did it seem like Obito had to be the one there for his worst moments? Well, maybe not all his worst. Kakashi thought back to when Minato-sensei had walked in on him after he broke the mirror in the hospital. Wait a second. The mirror. He'd cut up his knuckles pretty bad, but… He held up his right hand, still wound in sodden bandages. It didn't hurt at all. Quickly he unwrapped it, revealing completely unmarked skin.

But the cuts weren't even a day old. Was this the Sanbi's doing? So the bastard turtle makes him so sick he could barely walk, and heals his wounds at the same time? What the _hell_?

**It's your own fault for not being able to handle my chakra.**

Kakashi tensed, towel in hand. Fuck, this guy again. In his mind's eye he could see the Sanbi, crouched behind his delicate (but still intact) cage.

"So you can read my thoughts, then?" He muttered.

**Wouldn't you like to know.**

"What do you even want?"

**To break out of this midget of a vessel. **

"If you could do that you'd have done it by now, wouldn't you? I can tell the seal's still intact, you sorry excuse for a demon," he growled.

**You brat!**

A sudden burning heat shot through his body. Kakashi barely had time to tug down his mask before he lost the contents of his stomach onto the bathroom floor. His head felt on fire but his body shivered violently, vision going blurry.

"Bastard..." Kakashi ground out, before choking up more water than he could possibly have in his system.

**Don't you mouth off at me. That's what you get for interrupting my nap.**

"Get the fuck out of my head," he growled, then pushed on the heavy presence in his mind. It was a strange feeling, purely instinctual, but he almost felt the Sanbi slide out of his consciousness like sludge. It was gross. After a moment his vision cleared, his stomach firmed up, and his fever cooled marginally. So he _could_ push the Sanbi away at will? Or did it leave of its own accord?

Kakashi rinsed the mess on the floor down the drain, washing his mouth out with water and pondering what he'd learned. So his sickness was caused by the Sanbi's chakra directly, and the beast could force more into him whenever it wanted. It also said something about a nap… what was it talking about there exactly? If only his head would stop aching he'd be able to think straight.

Suddenly the door shook. "Kakashi! Did you spend the NIGHT in cold water while you have a FEVER?"

Fuck. Obito must've spilled to Shizune. Damn him.

"Morning Shizune."

"Open this door!" She sounded more exasperated than mad. He forced himself to his feet and unlocked the door, leaning heavily on the threshold.

Shizune's brows scrunched together as she inspected him and the sour-smelling bathroom. Obito was behind her, grinning nervously and rubbing his neck. Both were wearing more traditionally-styled clothes than normal that they'd supposedly nabbed from somewhere in the mansion, with Obito's empty eye covered by a simple piece of cloth.

"Oh for heaven's sake. You look worse than last night. Don't you know that cold water is about the worst thing there is for a fever?" Shizune grabbed his wrist and steered him back to bed. The light in the room was blinding; it had to be close to noon already.

"I can't believe you told her, Obito," he accused his friend bitterly.

"Hey, I never said I wouldn't. Besides it's hilarious! I couldn't _not_ tell her." Obito plopped on the foot of his bed with a bounce. Shizune took his temperature and some other medical stuff he didn't pay attention to.

"Traitor."

"Idiot."

"Shut up both of you, I'm trying to listen to his breathing!"

According to Shizune his temperature wasn't as high as she'd expected, but that Kakashi was still to stay in bed until further notice. Which wouldn't have been so bad, if Obito didn't insist on sticking around to "keep an eye on him". His friend was not sit around kind of person. Obito wandered around his room, then into the courtyard and back, or sat on the couch tapping his foot. They hadn't had a lot of time just the two of them yet either. Kakashi wasn't sure what he was supposed to talk to him about, if anything. Weren't friends supposed to be able to have non-uncomfortable silences? Or something? Or maybe it was just Kakashi who felt like that. There were just things he felt like needed to be said between the two of them, but he wasn't sure what those things were or how to breach that topic… Was he overthinking this? He was probably overthinking this. Fuck.

Obito for his part just kept yammering on about something or other. He wouldn't stop nagging Kakashi about drinking enough water or eating something, when he wasn't mocking his awful bed-hair. Bath hair more accurately. It was giving him a headache.

"I would go to sleep if you'd stop pestering me. Don't you have anything better to do?" Kakashi muttered, adjusting the heaven-sent cool rag over his forehead.

Obito deflated a bit. "Sensei said he'd help me with my Mokuton but he and Kushina went out this morning and aren't back yet, and Shizune's with the other medics trying to find out more about Turtle Flu."

"Turtle flu is a ridiculous name for it. It's chakra poisoning more than anything else."

"I know, I heard you tell Shizune. What happened anyway? You look a lot worse than you did earlier. Like, terrible." Obito flopped down next to his bed, resting his back against it and playing with some child's toy he'd found.

"Thanks for that," Kakashi said wryly, "And it's because it talked to me again."

"Turtle-san did? What did he say?!"

"Said I couldn't handle his chakra then something about waking him up from his nap."

"Oh. Then what did you say?"

"I called him a sorry excuse for a demon. Then he forced more of his chakra in me I think, and it made me sicker."

Obito turned to gawk at him, nervous but half-laughing. "You called him a what? And I thought _I_ was the stupid one. Why would you piss off Turtle-san? He's just gonna make you feel worse!"

"Yeah, I get that now. You try having some asshole demon reptile messing with your head, see how you like it."

"Sorry..." Obito mumbled morosely, then blatantly tried to change the subject. "Hey, I've been working on my new Sharingan power a little bit."

"The teleporting? Or the phasing through objects? That was from your Sharingan right? I was going to ask about that. Sorry, I know you can't talk about what happened before because of the seal so… yeah," Kakashi finished lamely.

"Yeah…. guess we both got seals, huh? But it's alright, I can talk about my Mangekyo!" Obito gushed, face brightening. "It's really cool, even if I haven't figured it out all the way yet. I'm getting the hang of the intangibility a little bit! But I haven't really practiced the teleporting yet. I'm afraid I'll accidentally teleport somewhere really far away and not be able to find my way back."

"I wouldn't be surprised."

"Hey, have a little faith in me will you? I got us back to the village didn't I?"

"Yeah. Thanks."

Obito narrowed his eye. "Are you being sarcastic again?"

Did he really come off as sarcastic that often? "No, I mean it. Thanks for not leaving me out there."

"Well I wasn't gonna..." Obito stopped, then puffed out his chest and put a smug look on his face. "I was never going to leave you there! People who abandon their friends are worse than trash. I can't become Hokage if I can't even do that much!" He touched his forehead, trying to adjust non-existent goggles, a familiar gesture.

"Guess you can't. Anyway, about your Sharingan. Did you look for anything about its abilities? There might be something about it here or in the village."

"Yeah, Shizune and I looked through some old records here to see if an Uchiha has had this power before, but we couldn't find anything on my specific one. Maybe there's more in the clan library back in the village but I don't think I'll be heading back there anytime soon, so…" Obito shrugged. "But that means I get to name it! So then I started looking through some old story books, and I found something that works. It's this old legend about a monk that was given a power for like, being super priestly or something? But it gave him the ability to be invincible to any mortal attack, and he could go to the god's world whenever he wanted. And I'm not sure if the place we passed through was really another world or dimension or whatever, but it kind of fits! In the story the power came from the gods, so they called it the Authority of the Gods, Kamui. Shizune liked the name too but I thought I'd get your approval before it's official."

"Why my approval? It's your power."

Obito blinked. "Oh right, I didn't tell you yet. I figured you had enough to deal with and Sensei agreed."

"Tell me what?"

"I'm ah… pretty sure you got it too. In your eye."

Kakashi shot up, washcloth falling off his face. "I got Mangekyo? But I thought that was a really rare power only a few people could unlock. I'm not even an Uchiha! And I haven't used it like you have, and… there's just no way."

Obito shrugged. "Maybe you can't use it yet because you're not an Uchiha? 'Cause I saw the design in your eye. And Mangekyo is rare, but I don't think you have to be some genius Uchiha to unlock it. Heck I was able to do it." Obito looked away. "To unlock it… you have to kill a person close to you."

Kakashi's eye widened. "Kill a… But that doesn't make sense. You didn't kill Rin. I did." His voice was flat and uncompromising.

"She was protecting me when it happened! So in a way it's like I killed her too. You just have to feel responsible for the death. And I do." Obito looked down.

"But you shouldn't. She came back for me because I'm the one who got captured. And because I couldn't control the Sanbi. It's not your fault."

"I still should've been able to save her! You aren't taking all the blame for this. I won't let you." Tears pricked at Obito's eye, mouth set in a stubborn frown.

Kakashi ran his hand through his hair. "You're persistent. Fine, can we just drop it for now?"

"For now, yeah. You have a lot going on right now." With an uncharacteristically soft smile Obito picked up the wet rag and moved to put it back on the Jinchuuriki's forehead.

"You do too… what?"

Obito was staring at his face, fingers still on the washcloth. At being called out he turned pink and glanced away.

"Uh, sorry. I... haven't really seen your eye! I mean, the one that was my eye."

Kakashi touched his left eye unconsciously. "Right. I've been taking care of it. I mean I've been learning to use it as much as I can." He opened his left eye so Obito could see it and was rewarded with a stab of pain. Wincing, he palmed at the eye socket.

"Sorry. I can't use my chakra at all right now." He couldn't do any Ninjutsu, even summon his dogs. It had only been a few days but just knowing he couldn't see them made him miss them already. "You know you can have it back if you want it."

"It's alright. I haven't stopped trusting you with my eye," Obito grinned.

Kakashi uncovered his eye and was quiet. After a moment his friend spoke.

"It really scarred, didn't it?"

"Yeah. But," Kakashi's face heated up for no good reason, "I'm not bothered by it. The scar I mean."

Obito touched the scarred side of his own face. "Why not?"

"Because I got it protecting a friend. The Sharingan is because I couldn't stop you from being killed- crushed, I guess. But losing my eye in the first place? That wasn't a mistake." Kakashi twisted the sheets in his hands while Obito gaped at him like a dying fish.

"You... you dumb Bakakashi!" Obito threw his arms around him, half tackling him into the bed. Kakashi froze, bewildered by the attack and clueless how to react to it. Despite that a smile twitched at the side of his mouth.

"Obito. I can't breathe."

"Ak! Sorry!" When he pulled away Obito was pink faced and teary-eyed. What, did he _not_ think his life was worth an eye?

"I do like the name though. Kamui," he said, changing the subject to something that he understood.

"Yeah! It's awesome. The Uchiha have a whole system for registering Sharingan abilities and names. I mean, assuming they'll let me put mine in now that I'm disowned." Obito rambled on about the Uchiha and why they were stuck up, face a bit pinker and demeanor more animated than before. In the middle of one of his sentences Kakashi nodded off again.

Jolting up, Kakashi woke in a flurry of half-remembered nightmares and adrenaline. Obito was gone. With some effort he blinked back images of Rin and tried to breathe.

"Good morning sleepy head. Or I guess, afternoon," said Kushina. She and Minato-sensei had opened the screen doors and were sitting facing the courtyard.

"You're back," Kakashi stated, settling back on the pillows. "Where's Obito?"

"He's out trying to get a hang of his wood style. Me and Minato went to go check out the area earlier. There's still some unrest around here from the war but we think it's safe enough." She got up and sat on the foot of his bed.

"So no Kiri around?" He asked. "That's who you were looking for right? I mean they aren't just going to let me keep their Bijuu, are they?"

Kushina and Minato were silent. It was a thought that had bothered him for a while, but he hadn't wanted to bring it up in front of Obito.

"Guess it was pointless trying to keep it from you. Sometimes you're too intuitive for your own good, Kakashi." Minato said contritely. "We don't want you worrying about it though. Kushina and I put up another barrier around this place while we were out, and besides I don't think they'll risk a war- which just might happen if they try and come after you now. Let us handle Kirigakure. You just focus on the Sanbi for now." Before he could reply Kushina was bouncing to a sit on his bed in front of him.

"Speaking of!" She said cheerfully, "Let's do a check-up while I'm here."

"A check up? Shouldn't you let a medic do that?"

"No silly, let's check in on the Sanbi! We need to track the decay of the seal and the only way to do that is to check it through your mindscape."

"Where the cage is? But I only see that when the Sanbi's awake," Kakashi said, sitting up and cross-legged, mirroring Kushina's pose. "And it's asleep right now. At least I think so. It's not talking and I feel alright so that's my guess."

"You can learn to enter your mindscape at will. Sometimes your beast will bring you there if he's being rowdy, but remember that it's your mind, Kakashi-kun. You control it. Now let's get a look at that seal while the sucker's asleep, eh?" She tossed her hair behind her shoulder and cracked her knuckles.

"... I'll try." Kakashi knew he was going to have to face the thing sooner or later, but he'd rather just leave it alone while he could. He was feeling better though, his fever was almost gone. Maybe the Sanbi was weakening? That was a little optimistic.

"Okay, now let's try to do this without waking him up. Keep your breathing even and concentrate on the Three-Tails' presence within you."

"But what if it wakes up and I lose my head again?" Kakashi tried to ask without sounding nervous.

"Did you forget what the Uzumaki's specialty is? I'll put that sucker right back in his place! Minato's here too for backup." Kushina put her hands on his shoulders. "Trust us, Kakashi. You'll be fine."

Swallowing his doubts, Kakashi nodded. He closed his eyes and focused on the heaviness in the back of his mind. Up until then he was consciously ignoring it but it was easy enough to find once he tried. All at once he had a sensation like falling and he was in.

"I see it," Kakashi muttered slowly. The self that was in his mindscape crept forward carefully. Wet moss squelched beneath his bare feet, and the sour smell of a swamp dominated his nose. It was dark, yet the heavy mist in the air held an almost unearthly glow.

"Good," said Kushina from outside his mind, "Now try to find the seal. You should be able to tell where it is."

Like he could sense anything else. The Sanbi's chakra was like a beacon and he followed it as quickly as he could. The sooner he was out the better.

"Be careful. Only get close enough to see the damage, then come back."

Nodding slowly, he was aware of the mist thickening. An acidic heat burned at Kakashi's lungs and his breathing hitched.

"Stay calm. You're almost there."

A shape emerged out of the indistinct air in front of him. Silver bars, twisting and warped, stretched out on all sides. Something drew him forward, intoxicating.

"It's… dented and warped," he said carefully, so as to not break concentration. "More than last time."

"Okay. Can you see the lock? It should be in the middle."

He was already heading towards it. The other side of the cage wall was dark with murky water. It was the water that caught his attention.

"The lock, Kakashi. Tell me about the lock."

"Lock..." he trailed off. It was above him, to the side, but he didn't look at it. The water. Something was there, Kakashi needed to see it. He needed to go into the water, that was more important right now. In front of him was a gap in the bars almost big enough to fit through… if he just bent the bars a little more and opened it up…

"Kakashi! Kakashi, stay with me! What do you see?"

"The water… I need to..." He touched the silver cable. It was freezing to the touch. Something stirred the murky depths but Kakashi found he wasn't troubled by it.

"Get out of there! You hear me Kakashi? Your chakra's spiking! Get away from the seal! Get away from that damn water!"

He wished that voice would be quiet down. Didn't she know that opening the seal was more important? Hands burning with cold, Kakashi wrenched on the silver bars with all his might. There was a loud groan- then a sharp slap.

Suddenly he was snapped back into the bedroom. His cheek stung and his breathing was rapid. Kushina was holding his shoulders again and everything was hot and green-tinted, what was he doing here? The water, he needed to go back. Why were these people stopping him? Kakashi was confused and scared, he just wanted to be left _alone_.

**Get back here brat! You were doing something useful for once. **

Wrenching her hands away from him Kakashi tried to tell Kushina to just get _away from him_ but it came out as a breathy growl.

"Kakashi! Stay with us here!" Another voice, Minato-sensei. He flinched away from him too, what were these people doing here, he needed to go back and open the seal-

"Adamantine Sealing Chains!"

Chains wound around his wrists and torso, pinning him. Kakashi struggled.

"Push it back Kakashi. You can do it. Push it back, or you're going to hurt someone. Do you understand?"

_Hurt someone…_ Rin's face flashed before him, tinged with green like Kushina's.

Kakashi tensed, then relaxed. No. If he touched that seal again people would get hurt. Obito, who he just got a second chance with. Kushina and Sensei, and Shizune, and everyone else.

It took longer than last time. Kakashi breathed in and out, pushing the panic and heaviness out of his chest with every exhale. Every time he almost gave up he remembered Rin and the people he needed to keep safe. Eventually the chains released from around him.

Kushina collapsed backwards onto the bed. "We are _not_ doing that again," she said with a nervous laugh.

Swallowing thickly, Kakashi clenched his fists to stop his trembling. "I'm sorry. It got into my head and I couldn't think straight. I could hear you, but I just..."

Minato-sensei put a hand on his shoulder. "That's to be expected. The Three-Tails relies on Genjutsu more than any other beast. You did well, considering."

"Yeah, nice job controlling it, Kakashi! You barely needed my help." Kushina added. He got the sense they were just trying to be positive. Personally he thought he actually hadn't done that stellar a job, but kept quiet. At least one thing he had done right.

"I saw it," Kakashi said, "The seal. It looks worse than it did yesterday or the day before."

"How much worse?" Minato was somber.

"Compared to yesterday, and assuming that the rate of the decay stays the same..." Kakashi thought for a moment. "One day. Two, maybe. That's my best guess."

Minato-sensei nodded. "No time to waste, then. Jiraiya-sensei will get here in time. All we can do is wait."

* * *

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	8. Terrors

Author: quietbun

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**Chapter 8: Terrors**

Obito was practicing his Mokuton in the western garden. Sensei had told him to start off easy and just grow some trees out of the ground. It had come surprisingly easily, which was a shock for Obito who had struggled with Ninjutsu all his life. He had already grown some saplings and was seeing how tall he could grow them when something twisted in his gut. Something was wrong. Obito could feel it. He could sense that same suffocating chakra as from when Rin was killed and instantly adrenaline began pumping through his veins.

_Kakashi._ He turned on his heel, leaving the garden in the dust and took off for the Hime room. If he had been paying more attention he might have noticed a small boy, about ten years old, duck back behind a tree.

He wrenched open the screen door with a loud _clack_ and his eyes instantly found Kakashi, lying in bed and shaking slightly. Minato-sensei was there with Kushina.

"What happened? Kakashi are you ok?" He demanded, at his friend's side in a heartbeat. The Sanbi's chakra was practically tangible in the room, distorting the air and making the soft pink of the walls to look rancid and decayed.

"Nothing. I'm fine." Kakashi snapped, pulling his hand away from Obito's touch as if it burned him. Hurt flashed over Obito's face as Kakashi glaring down at his hands, determined not to look him in the eye. His face was red with what looked like shame and frustration. That was a feeling Obito knew all too well. Obito looked at Kushina for an explanation and she sighed, sliding off the bed.

"Let's all go give Kakashi-kun some time to calm down and I'll explain everything." She said, herding Obito and Minato out of the room. Obito glanced back at Kakashi but he was still stubbornly avoiding eye contact. Jerk.

Kushina explained what had happened, how Kakashi had lost control over the Sanbi while they were assessing the seal. Obito almost asked why he wasn't there and why they didn't tell him about what they were going to do, until he realized that he wouldn't have been able to help anyway. Sensei and Kushina had it all under control. He couldn't do anything to help Kakashi until he got better at using his Sharingan and his Mokuton! Obito clenched his jaw and stared down at his feet angrily. He needed to practice more, had to get better at using his new powers. He had to, if he wanted to be of any use to Kakashi.

"Obito?! Didn't you hear what I was saying? Where are you going dattebane?"

"Sorry old lady Kushina! I've gotta practice more so I can help Bakakashi!"

He yelled over his shoulder, running as fast as he could back to his training ground. Learning how to use Mokuton seemed easier than Kamui so he'd start there.

"Why you…! YOU BETTER BE BACK IN TIME FOR DINNER YOU BRAT!"

The wood release was in the back of his head like a roaring storm of pure life force- accessing it was the easy part. The hard part was controlling it. It was like trying to fill a sake cup from a waterfall without it overflowing. In the books he had read with Shizune no matter what Konoha did to try to recreate the First's Mokuton it had always been too much for the host, killing them and turning to their bodies to trees. Sometimes Obito wondered if he survived the transplant because he was compatible or if it was Madara's doing. He liked to pretend it was because he was special, but it was most likely the latter.

The trees that he willed to grow out of the ground grew larger and larger until they were almost three stories tall. He didn't notice the sun had set until he had to crane his head to look up to the tops of the trees. Whoops… Looks like he had definitely missed dinner, not that he needed it anymore. Also he'd accidentally turned the western garden into a thick forest of broadleaved trees which he was sure the Uchiha clan would not appreciate. Hehehe.

Obito worked for several more hours on more than just Mokuton. He worked on shuriken techniques and even some Ninjutsu, failing more often than he'd like to admit, but even after almost a year of not training his skills were still in his muscle memory. Memory that just needed jogging. By the time Obito made his way back, bruised and aching but cheerful, the moon was already high in the sky, almost all the lights in the house extinguished.

He had hoped he could sneak into his room without waking up Kakashi, but the moment he slid open the door, Kakashi stirred in his bed and looked up at him. Moonlight streamed in through the rice paper screens and lit up his silver hair and the pale skin of his arms.

"What were you doing?"

"I was practicing with my Mokuton. Sorry if I woke you up."

"You didn't..." He was quiet as if he was trying to process something. "I'm sorry... for snapping at you this morning, and other stuff." His expression looked like saying the word sorry was equivalent to pulling out his own teeth.

"Whoa! The great Kakashi-sama is apologizing to me! Maybe staying up so late training is making me hear things, because no way the Magnificent Prodigal Genius Hatake Kakashi would ever apologize!" Obito teased, a little shocked honestly. Joking aside he never would have guessed the Magnificent Prodigal Genius Kakashi Hatake would actually say sorry to him, especially not after something so petty. Sensei or Kushina-san had to have put him up to it. In fact it was so un-Kakashi-like it had taken him a moment to reply.

"Fuck off," Kakashi growled but Obito could see his cheeks shift into a smile and Obito laughed a little as well.

"Anyways, I'm gonna go to sleep. Goodnight Kakashi, try not to fall asleep in the bath again." He ducked into his room before Kakashi could lob another pillow his way.

Obito woke up from his nightmare screaming. He couldn't tell if he was still dreaming or if he was awake but the air was suffocating. He couldn't breathe. He clawed at his throat and tried to get up but the blankets felt like boulders and he was being crushed again. It felt like something was curling tight around his neck. Tears were leaking from his eyes as he thrashed violently, he couldn't stop seeing things. Rin. Mom. Dad. Rin. Mom. Dad. Rin with blood trickling down her face. Mom as she gave her last breath on the hospital bed. Dad as he died for his comrades. Their faces stood out crisp and clean amongst a blur of blood and death. It was like every person he had ever killed had their hands wrapped around his neck in an iron choke hold.

He managed to tear himself from the bed and stumble to the door before he collapsed hyperventilating. He needed to get outside and get some fresh air. _I can't breathe. I can't breathe. I'm going to die. Holy shit I'm going to die._ He thought as his breathing became more and more ragged. He clawed at the door but before he could wrench it open, someone else was sliding it open and standing above him.

"Rin?" He choked out, as the figure before him blurred. The person, whoever it was, recoiled at the words. One second it was Kakashi, staring down at him with a look of horror in his eyes, and the next it was Rin, blood dribbling down her chin from her lips.

"I'm sorry Rin. I'm so so sorry. I'm such a coward I'm sorry," he sobbed. He felt like a hole had been torn in his chest when Rin died and it was growing larger. He felt hollow. His hands moved from his throat to his chest as he desperately tried to keep the hole closed.

Someone was holding him then, awkward and boney and at first Obito struggled against it, panic clouding his vision.

"Let me go! Let me go! I said I was sorry! I'm sorry!" He sobbed, his voice breaking.

"Obito. Obito you're alright, it's me, Kakashi." A voice said sternly cutting through his panicked thoughts like a knife.

"Kakashi?" He twisted in the strong arms holding him to stare at their owner's face. The silver hair and concerned look came into focus and Obito stopped struggling. He stilled, sucking in shaky breaths before he broke down and cried. He sobbed into Kakashi's shoulder and he let him. They stayed there for a long time, Obito shaking and crying, Kakashi rubbing his back and 'shhing' hesitantly in his ear. Obito didn't care if this was a dream or reality or if this wasn't even really Kakashi.

He didn't care if Kakashi called him a cry baby and a terrible ninja. He didn't care that he was probably ruining Kakashi's shirt with tears and snot. All he knew was that compared to the panic and chaos he had been in earlier Kakashi's arms felt safe, and eventually he dozed off, exhaustion finally taking over.

When Obito woke up next he realized something very quickly. He was not in his bed, but he recognized the soft pink and red silks of the Hime bed. What the fuck? Why was he in Kakashi's bed? The events of the past night felt like a weird nightmare, which he wished it was, but the fact that he was in Kakashi's bed right now meant that it wasn't. Guilt gnawed at him as he quickly scrambled to get out of the bed without disturbing Kakashi. Maybe he could just avoid the other boy for the rest of the day- or the rest of his life, and then not have to deal with that awkward confrontation.

But as Obito extracted himself from the bed something stirred next to him. He froze as he met Kakashi's one-eyed gaze. It was unreadable as always and his expression was covered by his black mask. There was silence for several moments where neither of them dared to speak.

"You kicked me in your sleep." Kakashi finally dead panned and Obito grinned as the tension in the room shattered.

"Stupid! You probably deserved it."

"I took you into my bed out of the kindness of my heart and what do I get in return? A bruised stomach in the middle of the night. You almost took out the night stand."

"Oh boo hoo! Do you want me to kiss it better?"

"Yes."

"Wait, what?"

"You offered to kiss it better. So do it." He lifted up his shirt to reveal a black and blue bruise the approximate size of a foot on his torso and smirked. Obito's face went bright red and he chucked a pillow at that stupid face.

"Stupid dumbass idiot Bakakashi!" He fumed and Kakashi raised an eyebrow at him. Idiot. Obito stomped back into his room and slammed the door with a loud clack, his face still burning red. Why was he so embarrassed? Well duh! It was that perverted Kakashi who said things that normal people just don't say! He's so weird! And Obito was definitely not still thinking about the bruised seal peeking out from under his shirt, or Kakashi's lean, pale torso. God no. He got dressed quickly, stumbling and tripping a couple of times, and searched around for his goggles for a few minutes before he realized he lost them a long time ago.

After that Obito spaced out for a little while, thinking about all the good memories he had seen through those goggles and his heart ached, but nostalgia wasn't really his style. So he pulled on the traditional clothes that had been set out for him and returned to Kakashi's room, calmer than he had left.

"Let's go get breakfast! I'm starved! I trained super hard last night I missed dinner!" He announced, his stomach rumbling at the idea of a warm meal. It was true that because of his new body he didn't have to eat but that didn't mean he didn't want to. Kushina's cooking was good but the Uchiha clan chefs were the best. Their cooking had been one of Obito's favorite things about summer when he was little, and he used to help around with chores there all the time for extra food.

Kakashi walked slowly and precariously but appeared to be determined not to need any help from Obito. He still felt guilty for... last night. What had happened, and how he had freaked out. Putting that kind of stress on Kakashi while he was still healing wasn't right. He opened his mouth to apologize but nothing came out. He didn't know how to apologize for something so weird, and he still didn't want to have that awkward conversation about what had happened and why he had freaked out so bad.

It had happened a couple other times in Madara's cave, but he usually passed out because of the strain it put on his injured body. Obito had come to call them Living Nightmares and definitely wasn't going to tell anyone. The fact that Kakashi knew about how weak he was made him nervous, but Kakashi was his friend now right? In the past he would have been the last person Obito would have wanted to find out about his panic attacks, even after Rin. Kakashi was his rival after all and if he knew he wouldn't take him seriously. But they were friends now. It was different. It was weird, but the way Kakashi had acted this morning had only indicated that he was just as content to not talk about it as Obito was. Which was a relief.

When the two of them entered the kitchen bickering about something dumb, a pair of chopsticks flew through the air and buried themselves into the wood, inches away from Obito's face. He froze, a look of panic on his face as he saw Kushina literally fuming.

"Where were you at dinner last night dattebane?!" She demanded, her hair swirling around her like a flame. Obito shrunk back, pressing himself as close to the wall as he could and tried to avoid eye contact with the Red Hot Habanero.

"Uh, training. Sorry."

"You idiot! You're gonna get yourself killed working so hard! You're still healing you know!"

"He was so exhausted he collapsed on my bed last night." Kakashi commented calmly.

"You traitor!" Obito yelped.

"What time did you come in at?!"

"Midnight!" He insisted.

"About three in the morning," Kakashi contradicted with a smirk as he watched Obito cower away from Kushina's wrath.

"How could you Kakashi!?" Obito yelped and he swore he saw flames in Kushina's eyes. She approached him and he shrunk down, expecting to get hit, but instead he was grabbed by the collar and sat down forcefully at the table, a heaping pile of food slammed down in front of him.

"You're gonna eat this whole plate and you're not leaving this table till it's gone you hear!" She said forcefully and Obito blinked, then a wide smile broke across his face.

"Yes ma'am!" He yelped and dug in.

The food was amazing, and to no one's surprise Obito cleaned his plate twice over.

"You're gonna get fat if you keep eating like that Obito." Kakashi commented as he picked at food.

"Shut up traitor Bakakashi! I'm a growing boy unlike you- I've still got a lot more to grow."

"I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet!" Kakashi insisted and Obito laughed.

"Whatever shorty! I hope you always stay this height, you make a great arm rest." A kick was sent his way under the table and Obito yelped.

"Jerk," He grumbled.

"Obito don't talk with your mouth full." Sensei chided and Obito grumbled.

He hadn't had a family-esque breakfast like this in a really long time, and even the ones that he did have with his parents were never this lively. It made his chest feel warm, but it didn't explain why his heart was beating so fast whenever his shoulder bumped Kakashi's or their eyes met. Ugh. It was weird and made his head fuzzy. He tried to clear his head with a cup of water but as he reached for it, Kakashi also reached for it and their hands bumped. Obito didn't know why he reacted so violently but he jerked his hand away, spilling the water all over the table.

"Shit!" He yelped as he jumped up, grabbing a towel. Kushina helped him clean up the mess while Minato watched with amusement in his eyes.

"Be more careful Obito. You have to slow down." Kushina chided and Obito hung his head low.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's fine, just remember you don't have to rush everything."

"Alright. Sensei do you think we can train today? I've gotten pretty good and I want to show you!"

"Are you sure? I don't want you to exhaust yourself. Mokuton can be pretty draining from what I've heard." Really? Obito thought, confused, he had never felt that tired from using Mokuton, maybe it was because of his prosthetics… weird!

"Yeah I'm sure!"

"Alright, Kakashi would you like to come watch? I know it's not very fun to lay in bed all day."

"Sure? Can I nap?"

"Kakashi you are sooooo lame." Obito whined.

"Oh! Once you guys finish up training there's this lake not far off on the manor's grounds that one of the maids was telling me about! We could go swimming dattebane!" Kushina jumped in, her eyes lighting up.

"Oh yeah! I know that lake! We would swim there a lot when we were kids! It's awesome. Let's do it!" Obito was grinning hard now, remembering how much fun he had had at that lake with his cousins.

"Sounds like fun," said Minato-sensei.

"Perfect! I'll pack a lunch and get your swimsuits laid out while you practice."

"What! No way! I don't want you going through my stuff!"

"What have you got to hide huh punk? And in case you forgot, I _bought_ you all your stuff!" Kushina snapped, pounding her fist down on his head.

"OWW! OLD LADY THAT HURT!"

"DONT CALL ME AN OLD LADY YOU LITTLE TWERP DATTEBANE!" They bickered longer than they should have, until Minato stood up, finished with his breakfast, and interrupted them.

"Alright. Are you ready to go?"

"Yep!" He stuck his tongue out at Kushina and then ran out the door to where he had been practicing last night. Minato and Kakashi followed behind at a much more reasonable pace.

The Uchiha's western garden had been transformed into a thick healthy forest, a few trees dotted with shuriken and scorched branches from when he was training. Obito stood in the middle of a small clearing, chest puffed out pridefully.

"Are you sure it wasn't already like this?" Kakashi quipped and Obito glared.

"No way! I grew this whole thing!"

"Impressive! Alright Obito let's start with some basic techniques." Minato cut them off before it escalated and pulled out a book from his coat pocket. The book was on the first Hokage and his Wood style. It was old and vague at best, but Obito hoped he'd be able to decipher it with Minato's help.

"Obito can you grow me a bench or something to sleep on? The ground hurts my back." Kakashi asked after a couple minutes and Obito looked up at him dumbfounded by the request, and looked at Sensei as if to confirm that he had heard him right.

"I don't see why not. It'll be good practice for you to try to grow inorganic shapes."

"Are you serious Sensei?! Do I really have to make this guy a bed?" Minato gave him an apologetic smile and shrugged. Obito shook his head and made the seals for wood release, the wood sprouting from the earth at Kakashi's feet and tangling together to form a simple rectangle bench.

"There you go Kakashi-hime!" Obito said, still trying to sound annoyed, but honestly he was actually super proud of the fact that he managed to grow it on his first try. He looked at Minato who smiled at him, and ruffled his hair as a praise.

"Good job Obito. You're getting really good at using it." Obito swelled with pride at the praise. He trained for a couple more hours with Minato-sensei's help while Kakashi slept on his wooden bench, but his training was interrupted by the sound of one of the guards yelling from the main gate.

"Lord Forth! Jiraiya-sama is here!"

Dread curled into his stomach and he gulped. Looks like they wouldn't be swimming tonight.

* * *

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	9. Lock and Key

Author: esthete-of-the-world

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**Chapter 9: Lock and Key**

"HEEEYYYY, BRAT!"

"What the holy FUCK!"

Kakashi scrambled awake, trying to sit up and see who was accosting him during his nap. None other than the Toad Sanin himself stood over him with his hands on his hips like he was proud of himself.

"Jiraiya-sa-" Nausea hit him in his gut and Kakashi slapped a hand over his mouth because fuck no, he hadn't thrown up yet today and he wasn't starting now. After a few deep breaths Kakashi managed to get his stomach under control enough to glare at the Sanin.

"You could at least pretend to be concerned," he muttered, pushing himself to a sit on Obito's bench.

"Hey, I was concerned enough to go all the way to Mist village wasn't I? Terrible weather up there you know, and the ladies! All bundled up from head to toe, a travesty really-"

"And the seal? You find anything in between harassing younger women?"

The self-proclaimed Toad Sage scowled. "I'm getting there! Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't make me seem like some creeping old man, I'm still in my thirties you know!" Jiraiya plopped down next to him and Kakashi bristled, uncharacteristically irked.

"Well excuse me for not being so lighthearted about taking up a new resident in my fucking ribcage, or being so sick I can barely stand and did I mention how I haven't been able to feel my fingers or toes for a few hours now? So sorry if I'm a little-" _Scared._ He stopped himself before the word. Dammit. He glanced up to see if Obito had heard his little tirade but he was still a ways off with Minato-sensei, coming back from the main gate. So far his plan of 'Don't Stress Obito Out So He Won't Have Another Panic Attack' was going somewhat well and he didn't want to blow it now by letting his friend know how he was actually feeling.

Kakashi pushed the heels of his hands into his eyes to banish the bit of green haze he thought he saw. "Just… tell me you found something so we can get this over with. I don't know if this piece of shit seal can hold up another night."

Jiraiya was quiet for a moment, finally serious.

"There's still a lot of things I need to go over with Minato and Kushina-san, but if the toxins are already hitting your system, which is what it sounds like, this thing needs to be sealed by tonight at the latest. Your body can't handle that poisonous chakra for long without a proper seal to filter it out."

"Poison, huh?" Kakashi held up his hand, watching his numb fingertips quiver sporadically and involuntarily. "So it's not just the chakra itself. It targets the nervous system I'm guessing? Maybe a hallucinogen too, judging by what I've been dreaming."

"You guessed it. Though you might start hallucinating while awake as things progress. Let's try to get this thing sealed up before we get to that point, alright? We'll have some problems if your body gets too weak to control the bugger."

"...yeah."

Obito ran up then. Kakashi clenched his fist to stop the shaking.

"Kakashi! Jiraiya's here!" He declared, like that wasn't an obvious fact to everyone.

"No shit. Really?" Kakashi injected some of his patented sarcasm.

"Be nice," chided Minato-sensei, but Obito didn't seem put off.

"But now we can seal up Turtle-san!"

_Yeah, don't remind me. _"Stunning deduction. Any more timeless wisdom you want to share with us today?"

"Alright alright you twerps, the adults have important fuuinjutsu matters to attend to. How about you continue your lover's quarrel inside? Speaking of, Minato, go find that lovely wife of yours. This seal isn't Uzumaki work but she'll still be very important for what I've got in mind."

Kakashi fumed a bit over Jiraiya's calling them lovers, but it did remind him that he was trying to be nice to Obito today. That had lasted all of a few hours. Friends could be snippy at each other sometimes, right? Maybe? Obito pointedly ignored him as they walked back to the manor. All the better since Kakashi's concentration was channeled exclusively into walking without falling over or throwing up. Fucking turtle poison… at least this whole thing would be over by tonight.

One way or another.

It was getting worse. Minato-sensei, Kushina, and Jiraiya had been deliberating for hours how to even go about fixing a defective Jinchuuriki seal, something that was basically unprecedented in and of itself. Putting the new seal into place was another question, and somehow keeping the Sanbi locked up during this whole process? The three adults were some of the best in the field of fuuinjutsu but even they weren't sure exactly how to pull this thing off.

What everyone really needed was time. That wasn't something they had. After telling Jiraiya everything he could about his seal, Kakashi was sent back to his room to be fussed over by Shizune and the other medics. They couldn't help much. The tingling and shaking had spread up Kakashi's arms and legs until he had trouble even moving. The whole area around his seal felt like one massive bruise and a headache was starting to pound behind his eyes. Obito, after sulking for a little while, came to sit with him once the medics cleared out. They'd decided that their time was better spent trying to come up with an antidote to the poison in his blood since none of their other treatments were really working. Obito was as quiet as he could be while trying to get some last-minute Mokuton practice in by growing branches and absorbing them back into his right arm. Kakashi watched all of this and waited helplessly, feeling his body and the seal deteriorate faster and faster.

"Obito, it's alright," Kakashi said after a few agonizing hours when they were finally alone. He'd been trying to keep his breathing steady despite his twitchy chest. Obito's Mokuton stopped growing into a tree towards the ceiling.

"What's alright? My Mokuton? It's coming along pretty good, huh?"

"No. I mean. Kind of." Kakashi wanted to move the cool rag off his forehead to talk properly but didn't want to give away his trembling limbs to Obito just yet. The situation was stressful enough already.

"All that laying around mucking up your head, Bakakashi?" Obito teased, but without his earlier lightness.

"No. I've been thinking this for a while now so don't worry, it's not some fever-brained judgment. Sensei agrees."

"What are you talking about?" Obito fused the wood back into his arm and looked at him.

"You don't have to tire yourself out with your Mokuton right now because you won't be there when they try to fix the seal."

"WHAT?! No way, I'm not leaving-"

"Yes. You are. It's not worth it to have you there."

"Are you saying I'll be no help _at all?_ I thought you trusted me!" Obito shot to his feet, hands balled in angry fists.

"That's not what… I trust you, Obito. That's the problem. It's just not worth it."

"What are you talking about?" Obito was mad now, but Kakashi had never been good with words. He didn't know how to tell him that sealing this monster wasn't worth risking his life over.

Instead what came out of Kakashi's mouth was, "If I could've died to save Rin, I would have."

Obito went very still. Kakashi looked down, annoyed that the only thing keeping him upright were some pink pillows.

"After you died. After I thought you'd died. I couldn't have come this far without her. Who you need isn't me. It's her. But then I killed her." Kakashi didn't even know if he was making any sense, let alone how to make his point.

"Kakashi..."

But he cut him off. "I killed her," the masked boy repeated, looking anywhere but Obito's face. "She didn't deserve that. You don't either. I might not even live through this anyway… so you shouldn't have to be in danger. It's not worth it."

Obito knocked something to the floor. "You idiot! No, Rin shouldn't have died. She never, ever should have died. She's what kept me going too, this whole time! But now she isn't here, and you are! I won't ruin this! I can't! So stop talking like you've already died! You are going to get through this, and you won't kill me!"

"That's what Rin thought!" Kakashi shot back, "And look what happened! She's dead. I can't do it. I can't do that again. I don't know if I could keep this monster under control, if it got you too."

There were some vague plans in the back of his mind, of sneaking into Kiri and doing to their village what they tried to do to Konoha. The Sanbi should be able to do enough damage to teach those bastards to mess with Bijuu and the Leaf. Even as he thought it he could feel a swell of excited sourness from his seal.

Obito gripped him by the collar again; now Kakashi could see that he was crying.

"This is the best option, Obito, the most logical-"

"You. SELFISH IDIOT! I cannot fucking believe you! _You_ couldn't keep going? And you think I_ could?! _How do you think I'd feel if you died too and I couldn't even help?"

"But you'd be _alive,_" Kakashi countered and Obito shook him, sending shocks of nausea and pain and adrenaline through his body.

"It doesn't _matter!_ It wouldn't matter anymore! You're so stupid, argh! Shinobi who abandon their comrades are worse than trash, how many times do I have to _say it?! _I told you I wouldn't let that thing kill anyone ever again! I promised!"

"I can't risk it." Kakashi ground out through uncooperative lungs and a burning throat. "Being trash is better than dead Obito. I can handle this myself." Why couldn't Obito see this was the only way? That Kakashi couldn't let his friend dying again become even a _possibility_? His breathing quickened. No, he couldn't let Obito be there. There should be as few people at the sealing as possible.

"You know you suck at asking for help, asshole." Obito looked mad enough to shake him again but he didn't. The panic in Kakashi's chest ballooned painfully.

"I'm not asking for help. I'm asking for you to _leave_," Kakashi retorted with more venom than he intended. Obito flinched slightly. Good.

**He'll only get in the way. Don't you want to keep your friends alive?**

"Yeah yeah, I _know_, he should just get out of here," Kakashi ground out, clutching his hair and scrunching his eyes shut. His head hurt and his chest hurt and the air was scalding and humid. Why couldn't Obito realize it would be best if he was gone? And Minato-sensei and Jiraiya and Kushina with those damn chains…

"Kakashi…" Obito let go of his collar and took a step back.

**Get away!**

"Just leave me alone!" And then Kakashi was lunging out of bed at him. His hand slipped through Obito's throat like it was air. The Uchiha's eye widened, that fucking Sharingan, and he stumbled back a few feet.

"Kakashi! Get a hold of yourself!" The other boy raised his arm and wooden branches shot out at him.

**You half-baked Senju knock off!**

He caught the Mokuton spike with the palm of one hand and found it didn't hurt. Clenching his fist, the wood rotted and cracked.

"Kakashi please! It's me!" The words bounced off him like pebbles on a stone wall. As if he would let someone else try and control him. He was done, he was done with being used as a tool. Power overflowed his sick body and he knew the other boy was no match for him.

**Take him out first, then kill the others.**

"Just need to kill him quick, then take care of the others." Kakashi snarled, green chakra collecting around his right hand.

Something slammed him to the ground and he grunted, struggling against the weight on top of him. A figure in a white mask twisted his wrists behind his back.

"Get _away!_" Kakashi bucked and smashed the ANBU against the ceiling. Before he could get up two more appeared, pinning him.

"The tranquilizer!" One of them barked. There was a sharp pain in his neck and everything went suddenly and violently black.

Everything hurt. The mist was thick and burned his lungs with every shallow breath. His blood was heavy like lead and his acidic stomach roiled. Straining open his eyes Kakashi saw first the blurry fog, then the warped and crumpled cage of silver wire, then the red and yellow gaze of the Sanbi. Water leaked out from between the rusted metal and pooled in the mossy ground. As he watched its webbed and scaled hands reached out of the vertical wall of water and wrapped around the bars.

_Stop…_ he thought, but it was hopeless. Kakashi couldn't move and even if he could he stood no chance. He couldn't fight this thing. A feeling like being stabbed in the heart ripped through him and he opened his eye with a gasp, in the physical world this time.

"Kakashi!" Obito exclaimed. He was back in bed in the Hime room. A dome of dim yellow light surrounded his bed and everyone was outside of it. Obito was to his right, two ANBU at either side of him and Kushina-san at the foot of his bed, brow furrowed in concentration. Kakashi blinked to try and make the room stop spinning.

"Kushina, he's awake! That means we can do the sealing now right?" Obito's voice was sharp with worry. Kakashi coughed then clutched his tender chest, his fingers coming up damp with half-dried blood. A medical mask had replaced his own and his shirt was gone.

"What… happened?" The memories were vague but Kakashi had a feeling that he'd lost control again. A cold dread settled over him.

"You lost your head a little is all," Obito said with a tight smile.

"Did I hurt anyone?" Everyone in the room looked alright but he wasn't sure. Damn his head was hazy. It was loud too, a sound like a waterfall pounding raggedly in his ears.

"You roughed up one of the ANBU, but he's fine. Kushina has a barrier around you just in case. We don't want to have to use a tranquilizer again. They shot you up with enough to slow down Gamabunta but you weren't even out two hours." His friend managed to crack a half-smile.

"I'm sorry." His throat ached, everything ached. Just trying to move his fingers was difficult. "Sorry. I don't think I can push it back again. Just take care of it. Whatever it takes." Fuck he was useless.

"None of that talk," interjected Kushina. "We're going to get you fixed up right now. ANBU-san, go tell my husband and Jiraiya-sensei to get things ready in the cave. I don't care if we're not ready, he can't last any longer." The person on his right vanished.

"Cave?" Kakashi asked, then coughed into his mask. That the resealing was finally happening should make him excited or nervous, but he just felt tired. Couldn't this just be over already?

"We're going to a cave outside the manor. That way there's less collateral damage. It's gonna be a rough ride even if things go well."

Obito nodded. "You'll be okay."

"Kushina, have you figured out how to do it? Reseal it? How risky is it?" Kakashi rasped.

"We have a plan. I won't say it won't be dangerous but it's the best we could come up with. Think of your seal as… a dog crate."

"Dog crate?" Obito asked, without taking his eyes off the boy in the bed.

"Yeah. The seal is like a dog crate keeping the Sanbi inside. As far as we can tell the only part that's defective is the "door" of the crate. Minato and Jiraiya-san are going to remove the door and put in a new one."

"But won't that-" Kakashi gasped as the Sanbi pounded on the seal again. It felt like his chest was being wrenched in all directions simultaneously.

"Set it loose? Yeah. That's where I come in. I'll use my sealing chains to keep it contained in the "crate" while the door is fixed. Leave it to me, alright?"

"Fine." Kakashi's mind raced to figure out what he would do if Kushina failed. Could he suppress the Sanbi again? Or would he have to try and kill himself before he lost his mind completely?

The air moved and Minato-sensei was there. "Kakashi, how are you feeling?"

"It doesn't matter. Just seal it. Get it over with." Whenever he blinked he could see the climbing, crumpled silver cage in the misty room of his mindscape. There wasn't much time. Sensei nodded.

"Jiraiya-sensei already went ahead. I'll use Hiraishin to get you all over there quickly." Kushina released the barrier from around him. As soon as it was gone Obito was at his side.

"You can do it. We're all here for you. It will be fine."

Kakashi nodded jerkily. "Yeah," he said, more for Obito's sake than for anything else. Tears welled in his friend's eyes but his stance remained resolute.

Minato-sensei put a hand on his shoulder. First the ANBU, then Kushina vanished. Minato reappeared seconds later.

"Are you ready?" Obito helped him out of bed to stand on trembling legs.

"As ready as I can be. Sensei-" Kakashi winced. Pressure was building in his chest, making it hard to breathe. "Don't let me kill anyone."

Minato supported him by the shoulders. "I won't. We'll keep everyone safe. You just worry about keeping the Three Tails in check." Kakashi didn't respond.

"Yeah, kick that thing's ass. Show it who's boss," Obito said, still pretending to be cheerful. "I'll be right here when you get back, alright? Just…" He trailed off. Kakashi knew what he meant.

"I'll come back. I promise."

Even through the wetness in his eyes Obito managed a small smile and a wave. Minato-sensei held him upright. There was a rush of color and then they were on the side of a small mountain. A gaping hole towered in front of them, the entrance gleaming with a sealing jutsu. Swallowing was becoming difficult.

Suddenly Kakashi's legs buckled under him. Sensei caught him but he struggled instinctively.

"Kakashi, it's alright. Stay still."

It wasn't alright. He was carried into the cave as his feeling of apprehension rose. No, this was bad. Really bad, he shouldn't go into that hole, what was happening again? He tried to see who was carrying him but they were wearing a gas mask over the lower part of their face. There were other people in the cave, some familiar and all wearing gas masks. In the center was a raised rectangular platform covered in fuuinjutsu symbols.

Fuck. No, not again. This was familiar. When had this happened before?

"Wait, stop." The person carrying him ignored him. It was Sensei, or was it?

**Your sensei wasn't there last time, remember?**

The voice was loud, rasping, but convincing- Kakashi was starting to remember now. The Kiri shinobi had him last time, in a cave just like this, and a platform just like that. Last time his hands had been cuffed behind him and he was barely conscious but awake enough.

**Remember what they did before? Are you going to let it happen again?**

_Two shinobi in gas masks were dragging him by the elbows. He could barely keep his eyes open, let alone fight back. His whole body ached with injuries and drugs._

_"Lay him here. We can't keep that thing contained much longer." Commanded one of the men, voice distorted by a gas mask. A thin veneer of mist already filled the cave, burning his lungs with every breath._

"Calm down Kakashi, it's us. You're alright. Stay with me." The voice was familiar but he couldn't trust it, not after last time.

**He's lying. They're going to hurt you like before.**

Last time. They were pushing him down onto the platform just like before. His chest seared with remembered pain, or real pain. Who were these people, why did his heart hurt? Why was this happening again? Last time… last time the shinobi had done something _terrible_ to him, something that _hurt_. He would not let them do it again.

"No! Get away!" Two figures pinned his shoulders down.

**Fight! _Stop them!_**

His whole body burned. Something was collecting in his bones, hot and powerful, but Kakashi didn't feel strong. He was just scared, and furious, and confused, emotions but mostly just a desperation to _survive _drowning him like a raging river.

"Shit, his eyes! Kushina quick!"

Chains gleamed in the air. Kakashi tensed, then attacked.

"Get. AWAY!" Steam blasted out of him, scorching acrid. The chains and people blew back but before he could recover something else was pushing him down. One of the people held his biceps to the platform, blue-eyed gaze determined. No, the eyes weren't blue they were black, a T-shaped scar pulling on the left one. Kakashi remembered that cold masked face, the man pressing his palms into his chest and the _pain._

Kakashi grit his teeth and grabbed the arms that were holding him down, squeezing below the elbows with all his might. First the shirt then flesh began to sizzle and burn but the blond man barely faltered. Something else held his legs down.

_More… I need more!_

A booming groan then a metallic snap echoed in his ears. An involuntary cry escaped him at the pain but then he felt chakra rising to his call. Thick green chakra bubbled out of his body, burning away the earth jutsu that tried to stretch itself over his middle.

"Kushina!"

Kakashi's grip on the one pinning him tightened. He could do it, he could break the man's arms if he had to-

Chains snaked around his wrists, wrenching them down. Before he could draw breath the chains were everywhere, wrapping around his legs and stomach and shoulders and choking the air out of his throat. Still the chakra blasted through him and it wasn't like falling, it was like being blown apart from the inside, a hot green pain replacing his body. He couldn't see or smell and could hardly breathe and the _fucking chains_ pinned him tightly. But that didn't mean he couldn't attack. Kakashi was aware of the thick, slimy chakra taking shape, rising out of his body like… a tail?

With that thought he was pushed out of his body.

It was different than last time. Something was terribly wrong, even if he couldn't quite put his finger on what. Like waking up in the ruins of a natural disaster, or a bloody battlefield, even if instinctively Kakashi knew he was in his mind. Wait, then where was the seal?

With a huge effort he cracked his eye open. Only blurry, bubbling water and an acidic burn greeted him. Where was he? Was this really still his mindscape? What had happened with… what had he been doing again?

"...back!"

The voice was distant but it was all his hazy senses could pick up for the moment. Kakashi tried to find what direction it was coming from.

"-ashi!"

Wait, he knew that voice.

"-ive him back!"

Who was that? Where was he? His mindscape? How could someone else be here? Floundering a little Kakashi tried to right himself. His body was floating in a thick liquid that he was somehow able to breathe a little in, but he couldn't tell exactly which way was up. Everything was a hazy green blur except for a dark patch to his right. He rubbed his eyes to clear them. Even though Kakashi's left eye was uncovered he couldn't see a thing out of it. With his other eye he could see the shadow begin to take shape into a clawed-looking thing. A hand? As his senses cleared he began to hear thrashing, creaking metal, and roars that shook in his chest. Water surged around him but strangely his body seemed bubbled in stillness. Past the rushing water he could just make out huge things thrashing around, the glint of something shiny, a warped metal web-

Wait. Kakashi struggled to turn himself around. Above him towered an armored shell, and the angry red eyes of the Sanbi. To either side of him were its scaled hands, not caging him in but trapping him in the water nonetheless.

Kakashi was in his mindscape. Just on the wrong side of the cage.

Suddenly the beast lurched. One of the tails was struggling against a shining chain, bashing into the bars of the seal.

"You give him back you demon BASTARD _DATTEBANE!_"

Kushina! Now he remembered, she was going to help control the beast. They were going to seal up the damn Sanbi for good. Even if he couldn't see her yet Kakashi could hear where she was.

"KAKASHI! Get out here you little twerp! You're letting this beast," Kushina grunted, and the Sanbi yanked forward again, "give everyone a tough time out there!"

Minato-sensei, and Jiraiya-san, and the ANBU… They must be fighting out in the real world. Kushina was fighting. And if he didn't do something they would all get hurt. First at Kannabi, then in that damn Kiri base by the sea- Kakashi was done losing people, done hurting who he cared about. And if he didn't take back control from this damnable monster that's what would happen.

A third time the water shook but this time Kakashi was ready. He threw himself at the clawed hand to his side and grabbed one of the fingers. It was slimy and scaly and hot to the touch. With something to hold onto he heaved himself forward until finally with almost a pop he was tumbling into the churning water. Kakashi took a deep breath, ignoring the pain of the pseudo-liquid filling his lungs, and screamed with all his might.

"KUSHINA!"

The Sanbi roared but something cold and shiny wrapped around his stomach and yanked so hard it knocked the breath out of him. Water rushed by- and suddenly he was out. The dim swamp of his mindscape had disappeared, flooded by the rotten water that was everywhere now. It was all he could do to keep himself on top of the water as he collapsed next to Kushina.

"You okay?" she asked without looking at him.

"I- I think so." Actually he hurt all over but this was just in his mind, right? He could manage.

"Okay. Time to get this show on the road." As she spoke a heat started coming from her, red and glowing like embers. Her crimson hair rose in tails seemingly of its own accord.

"Wait Kushina, are you using…" Kakashi trailed off.

"I could use a little boost with this and besides, believe it or not he's happy to help. Seems these two aren't on the _best_ of terms dattebane."

**"You Kyuubi BITCH!"** The water beast roared.

"Yeah, I figured that out," said Kakashi with a huff.

Kushina stood straight and raised her hands. Chains shot out, thick ones and what seemed like miles of it. They crisscrossed over the mangled, rusted remains of the seal. When the Sanbi smashed his tail against it the chains only glowed a red-orange and held.

"Alright," Kushina called aloud once the chain wall was thick, "Minato! Jiraiya-sensei! Do it now!"

"Are they going to-" Kakashi started but mid-word the silver web of the seal shattered like glass. Instantly it felt like a firebrand was being drilled through his brain. With a cry he grabbed at his hair. If a chain hadn't wrapped around his chest he would've fallen into the water.

"Hang in there Kakashi." It was all he could do just to focus on Kushina's words. He put a hand on his bare chest, it felt like there was a gaping hole in his heart and his blood was replaced with acid, his head was _exploding_, what was going on _fuck_ it felt like he was _dying._ Just when Kakashi was seeing red and sure he was done for- the pain faded. It wasn't gone but he was able to sit on top the water on his own.

"What," he said, gasping and rubbing his chest, "was _that?_"

"You just had an unsealed Bijuu inside of you. How'd you feel?" When she glanced at him Kushina's eyes were red and silted with black whisker-like marks on her cheeks.

"I thought I was going to _die._" He said, looking up at the seal. A nine-sided silver block a few feet across hung in the center of the doorway, suspended by three huge chrome bars that curved slightly into the walls. Kushina's chains still kept the struggling beast at bay.

**"KYUUBI!"**

"Is it done?" Kakashi asked. "The seal?"

"Not yet. They put the seal in place. It's up to you to lock that beast up. Only you can use the key."

"Key? I don't have a-" Wait. There _was_ a key, a literal key suddenly in his hand. It was chrome like the seal and about as long as his forearm. "Let me guess, that up there is the lock? I thought that cage was symbolic or something?"

"It kind of is. The most literal symbols are just the easiest to design. Now get to it, I'll give you a boost." And without another warning Kushina grabbed him by his arm and _threw_ him at the silver block. Kakashi scrambled to get a grip on it before he fell- he couldn't stick to it with chakra. It really was just a lock. A few inches off each flat edge of the lock a metal rod floated in the air. A symbol like three waves twisting into each other adorned the middle, the same one that was carved into his chest. At the center was a keyhole.

Well, now or never. Kakashi jammed the key in. The metal rod on top slammed into the lock with a loud _chink_. A few more curving cables flew out of the lock and darted into the walls. Okay, at least this was straightforward. The Sanbi growled again. One of its tails struck at him, shaking the lock violently and blowing hot steam at his face- but there was no way in hell Kakashi was going to fail, not when he was this close, not with everyone waiting for him. Clinging to the lock with one hand he turned the key to the right until he heard a clink, and the second rod shot into the lock. More curving bars covered the entrance. So the rods were like pins in a safe door. Two down, seven to go.

**DAMMIT! THIS ISN'T OVER!**

The Sanbi almost knocked him off again at the third click, but Kakashi realized it was working. Every turn of the key was easier than the last, Kushina withdrawing more and more of her chains every time. Four. Five. Water stopped leaking from the gaps. Six. Seven. The last of Kushina's chains vanished. Eight, and finally nine. The lock clanked loudly in finality. Kakashi slipped off, strength completely spent. Kushina caught him.

"You did it. You really did it! That seal looks beautiful." Her eyes were their regular blue again. Kakashi nodded, scrutinizing the seal. The web of silver looked dramatically better than it ever had, the strands curving and interlocking uniformly leaving no gap larger than a foot or so. The Sanbi was nowhere to be seen in the dark water.

"Where is it?" He asked weakly.

"Sulking. And resting. That faulty seal was hard on it too, you know. If he wasn't so weak I don't know if we could've pulled this off."

"Weak? That?"

"Yep," Kushina said with a smirk. "Now comes the hard part- controlling it by yourself."

_That_, Kakashi thought, _was the easy part?_

"Now get some rest. You'll need it."

Kakashi's eyes were already closing. _How on earth am I going to do this?_

~End of Arc One~

* * *

Edited as of 1/29/15.


	10. Recovery

Author: quietbun

* * *

**Chapter 10: Recovery**

Obito paced the hallway like a caged animal, glaring at any servant who got near. He knew he was being unreasonable, and sulking, but he was upset that he had been left behind at such a critical moment. That mixed with the tight knot of anxiety at the bottom of his gut had him high strung. It had been nine hours since Kakashi and the others had left and Obito was starting to think the worst. He liked to tell himself that he was angry at being left behind and not afraid. He was angry! Really angry! But it was because for all he knew Kakashi could be dead and he would have no way of knowing. And that. That made him scared. He lashed out angrily at the wall, kicking it violently and accidentally shattering part of the ancient wood and sending splinters flying everywhere.

"Oh! Fuck!" He exclaimed, jumping back, and colliding with someone. "Shit!" He spun around, hoping one of the servants hadn't just watched him destroy half a wall; they were already afraid of him as it was. When he turned around to see who he had run into his eye widened when it met the familiar flinty grey one.

"I thought the point of doing the sealing in the cave was to avoid destroying the manor." Kakashi's voice was strained, but still managed to be amused tone.

"You—!" Obito clenched his fists as he tried to process what to say. "You jerk!" He finally huffed as he pulled his friend into a rough hug and buried his face into the crook of Kakashi's neck so the other boy couldn't see him cry. He didn't let go for a long time, so relived was he that Kakashi had come back alive, and that the resealing had seemed to make things better. At least for the moment. He looked better. Maybe it was the fact that he had been standing on his own, or that his skin no longer looked so ashen.

"O-obito… You have to stop crushing me…" Kakashi wheezed, and Obito pulled away sharply, his eyes still watery.

"Ah! Sorry!" He yelped, feeling heat rush to his face. "I guess I don't know my own strength huh?" He said sheepishly, glancing at the remains of the wall.

"Guess not," Kakashi grumbled, swaying a little then leaning heavily against the wall. Obito fluttered anxiously around him.

"Are you okay? How'd it go? The seal's all fixed? And what took so long?"

"It was... kind of a process. I didn't wake up for a while. And the medics wanted to make sure me and- and sensei were stable before we moved." Obito didn't miss the hesitation, or how Kakashi ducked slightly at the mention of their teacher.

"What happened to Minato-sensei?"

"I don't… really remember," the other boy mumbled. "They said he'd be alright, but I hurt-"

"There you are! Kakashi don't disappear like that dattebane! You shouldn't even be up!" Kushina interrupted, sliding the door open much more loudly than Kakashi had. Slightly out of breath herself, she glanced between Kakashi and Obito for a moment before a wide grin split across her face. "Ohhhhhh, so that's why you were in such a hurry Kashi-kun." She teased with a wink in Kakashi's direction and Obito could have sworn he saw his face redden beneath his mask.

"I just wanted to tell him I wasn't rotting in some cave in the middle of the forest, don't make it weird Kushina." He snapped back, crossing his arms across his chest. "Minato-sensei was too exhausted to use Hiraishin anyways."

"I'm surprised you're not exhausted as well Kakashi. You walked almost all the way by yourself." The level voice of Minato added, as he came to stand next to his wife. He looked worse for wear and there was a splint on his left forearm. Bandages peeked out of his long sleeved shirt. Obito didn't comment. Even if the injuries didn't look too bad he knew Kakashi must feel awful about it.

"I took lots of breaks." The white haired boy insisted, color creeping up into his ears and the uncovered bridge of his nose.

"Yes, well. We're here now, so how about we all sit down for an actual meal? You can too if you feel up for it Kakashi." Minato suggested.

"Sounds good to me, I was getting really tired of those dried rations. I should've packed a lunch," Kushina complained, already walking in the direction of the grand dining room. Kakashi grunted in agreement and Obito rocked back on the balls of his feet in happiness. Maybe from here on out things would finally start to get better.

"Hey, Bakakashi, do you think I should cut my hair?" Obito asked out of the blue one day, a month after the fateful resealing as he and his friend trained in the summer heat.

Shirts had been discarded early in the day as the two boys sparred and practiced in an open grassy area near the manor. Obito was only on his eighth handstand pushup when the thought of cutting his hair came to him. His brow was already sweat soaked and the dark hair that he normally wore up in a tight knot now fell messily into his face, sticking to his forehead and back.

As far as Obito could tell, things had been going pretty well with the Sanbi. According to Kakashi his demon hadn't made a peep since being sealed up. It was a little unnerving knowing that something so dangerous was lurking in his friend… not that he would ever tell Kakashi that. And it wasn't that he was afraid of him! Obito had just seen firsthand how much that monster could hurt other people its Jinchuuriki, and though he had been good at hiding it Minato-sensei's arms were hurt badly during the resealing. Not to mention what had happened to Rin.

According to Kushina beasts were quiet almost all the time, so Kakashi had been allowed to start training again once he had recovered enough. Mostly he just did physical exercise since becoming a Jinchuuriki had messed up his chakra control. Obito felt bad about it later, but the look on Kakashi's face when his first clone jutsu failed miserably was _priceless_. Minato-sensei and Jiraiya handled his chakra training for the most part now while Obito was happy to have someone to work out and spar with.

Kakashi glanced at Obito with disinterest as he raised an eyebrow and continued to do sit ups. "Why do you ask that now? Your hair has been long since you came back." Obito still heard the slightest bit of hesitation before the words 'you came back' and it still made him feel strange.

"Yeah, but it's so hot! I've always had short hair; how was I supposed to know it would be like wearing a coat all year long?!" He whined, pushing himself up into the air once more, his arms straining.

"Cut it if you want dumbass, it makes no difference to me. Other than it's easier to grab onto in a fight." Obito stuck out his lip in a pout.

"Rude Kakashi! You're supposed to say 'You'll look great no matter what Obito! Wow it's so cool that you even managed to get your hair that long!" Obito was too busy glaring at the mass of hair that had pooled on the ground to notice Kakashi glance at his bare chest, then to his scared face, then turn away again, his face beneath his mask red from more than just the heat and the sit ups.

"It's not like it takes effort to grow hair."

"Shut up! I'll keep it long then, ha."

"Whatever you want. It's fine either way."

Kakashi was silent for another moment, leaning forward to grab his knees and staring pointedly at the creek. "Uh, yeah. Anyways. Kushina heard that the local village is holding a summer festival or something tonight and she is probably going to force both of us to go, since Minato-sensei doesn't think I'll flip my shit and demolish the place anymore. So, I've already said I would go but I figured I would ask you before she did, just to take that satisfaction from her, so do you uh, want to go with me to the festival?" The Jinchuuriki finished lamely. Obito blinked in surprise and toppled down from his handstand. Kakashi let out a sharp bark of laughter as Obito ate a face full of grass.

Obito spat out the dirt in his mouth before he glared at his friend.

"Asshole." He huffed, finally realizing what Kakashi was asking. A summer festival sounded fun and his stomach was already growling at the thought of all the delicious festival foods. Neither he nor Kakashi had left the manor since they had arrived, so this was a rare chance to visit the nearby village. He was just about to say that the festival would be fun and he would totally kick Kakashi's ass at the fish catching game, when a new thought dawned on him.

Don't couples usually go to festivals together? Like. People who are dating? The thought made Obito blush bright red and he quickly turned away from Kakashi to take a long drink from his water bottle. Oh fuck. Was Kakashi asking him on a date? Did he _want_ Kakashi to be asking him on a date? Should he say yes? What if people thought they were dating!? He rocked back and forth from foot to foot before finally glancing back at Kakashi, who seemed just as disinterested as before, but with what could be confusion on his face as well.

"Are you asking me on a date Bakakashi? Are we gonna watch the fireworks together and hold hands?" He asked teasingly, not knowing how else to put the question. Kakashi's visible eye widened, and this time Obito saw the blush the spread over his bare shoulders and up to ears as the other boy remained silent. That was not the reaction Obito was expecting, and his mouth fell open like a stupid fish as Kakashi shrugged.

"If you… want it to be." He finally muttered, standing up quickly and grabbing his shirt up from off the grass. The long haired Uchiha stood there gaping at his friend for a long moment, trying to figure out if he was kidding or not while Kakashi turned away from him and took a drink from his water bottle.

"Are you being serious?!" Obito finally demanded, striding up to the shorter boy. Kakashi turned back to face him, mask back in place, eyebrow raised curiously.

"What do you think?"

"I don't know! That's why I asked." Obito retorted, furrowing his brows.

"It's not a big deal Obito. If you don't want it to be it doesn't have to, and if you do it can." Kakashi said calmly as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"You…. You idiot! The only way I would ever go on a date with you is if you actually wanted to!" Obito clenched his fist over his chest and shook his head. "I don't want to go if you don't care!" His heart was pounding wildly in his chest and he squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

In the time since he'd come back and Kakashi had become a Bijuu vessel Obito had thought, well mostly hoped, that they had become better friends. It was so hard to tell with Kakashi, who only showed emotions through his fricken' eyebrows! Maybe if he was better at expressing what he felt then Obito would have an easier time figuring out what the heck _he'd_ been feeling recently.

Two weeks ago Kakashi finally managed to summon his Ninken. He had disappeared under a pile of squirming dogs for no less than ten minutes, and even after that none of the dogs left his side, making comments like "Boss you smell weird!" and "Obito has a tree growing out of him can I pee on him?" and "We missed you so much!" That was the first time Obito had ever seen Kakashi smile so genuinely, and even though it was behind his stupid fabric mask it still made Obito's heart skip a beat.

Ever since he'd had a hard time concentrating anytime Kakashi was nearby. He would space out for entire chunks of Minato-sensei's lectures about Mokuton or Bijuu or Mangekyo just to notice the way Kakashi's hair fell and curled in some places. When he was called out on it Obito's face would turn about as red as Kushina's hair.

Another change was that he had started sleeping in the massive Hime room bed with Kakashi. They used to sleep next to each other all the time on missions so it really shouldn't be a big deal. Obito claimed that it was because the mattress was softer, but in all honesty sleeping alone scared him shitless because it always left him with the most vivid nightmares his brain could possibly produce. Only in Kakashi's bed could he sleep soundly. He was halfway sure the other boy had nightmares too because sometimes he would be woken in the night by Kakashi's labored breathing, followed usually by the sound of him running a bath. Neither of them ever talked about it. With all of those changes happening it made sense that Obito would think that he and Kakashi were at least friends.

The problem was Obito knew he got attached easily. Rin was one of the first people to show him any sort of kindness and he had instantly claimed she was the love of his life. His family made sure to remind him how pathetic that was, and to inform him regularly that her blood line was civilian and therefore trash in their eyes. Just remembering their words made him doubt his own feelings- was he just a bother to Kakashi? To Minato and Kushina? Did they all think he was annoying, and only put up with him because they pitied him? When Rin was… When Rin was alive he used to ask her all the time if she really liked him, even if it was just as a friend at the time, and she would always smile and tell him of course. He only asked Kakashi the question once since he had returned, and the other boy and just rolled his eyes and replied with "What do you think dumbass?" which had left him feeling even more miserable and confused than before.

"I do want to go with you Obito." Kakashi's voice was firm and cut through Obito's spiral of thoughts. He blinked tears away and stared down at his feet. "I want to go as… whatever it is we are, and if that's dating then that's fine with me. If it's just friends that's also fine. That doesn't change the fact that I like you alright?" Kakashi grumbled so quietly he was almost inaudible. "Geez dumbass, you make me spell everything out for you."

"So… You do… want me around?"

He snorted and nodded. "I wouldn't have put up with you for so long if I didn't." Kakashi said, doing his best to look anywhere but at Obito. The smile that spread across Obito's face was so bright it put the sun to shame. He curled his toes into the grass of the lawn and bounced happily.

"Awesome! I'm so excited! We're gonna do all the games! I'm going to catch way more fish than you Bakakashi!" And with that he grabbed his shirt and sprinted off to get ready. The grass could be seen growing longer wherever his feet touched down, flowers blooming as he grew near and wilting as he left, growing only at his touch.

"BA-CHAN CHECK ME OUT!" Obito howled, his voice sounding through the whole manor as he leapt out of his room, his yukata tied around his waist leaving his chest bare. Kushina looked unimpressed as he spun around to brandish the writing painted onto his back. "Isn't it cool? I look like some wild thug from the Yakuza!"

"You look wild alright, but unfortunately THERE'S NO WAY YOU'RE LEAVING THE HOUSE LOOKING LIKE THAT DATTEBANE!" She ended with a shout, punching the boy hard on the arm.

"OW! Why not you crazy hag!?"

"What was that?" She had an iron grip on Obito's ear when Kakashi entered the room, dressed in a simple black and white yukata.

"You two are too loud. Also Obito, you do know the writing on your back says 'Toad Face' right?"

"Aw What! Jiraiya told me it said 'tiger heart!"

"Well he lied. Now go get dressed like a normal person please, we're late as it is." Obito stuck his tongue out at his teammate before going back to his room and washing the ink off his tanned back. Both he and Kakashi's yukatas had been found in the Uchiha closets and Minato said it was okay to wear them. While Kakashi's had just boring black and white stripes, Obito's was a brilliant blue, decorated with pin-wheels. "It kinda looks like our Mangekyo doesn't it?" He had exclaimed when he found it, and claimed it immediately.

Kushina didn't let any of them leave until she had convinced Obito's hair to sit in a somewhat messy bun at the top of his head, the Kanzashi holding the hair in place.

"It's the best I can do for right now, but at least you don't look like a homeless child anymore." She said with a sigh.

"Yeah yeah, now can we go please?"

"Alright brat let's get going." All of the servants and Shizune had left for the festival at least an hour ago, so it was just him, Kakashi, and Minato, Kushina, and Jiraiya walking to the village. Them, and the squadron of ANBU Obito could now sense following them closely. Probably for the best.

They could hear the music before they reached the village, and Obito was already bobbing his head along with tune. The drums players were pounding heavily and Obito could feel the festivities in the air. Obito bounced along the road, until he couldn't take it anymore and started to sing.

_"__Tailed Beast Counting Song!"_

"All right, here we go!" Kushina grinned as she recognized the song she had taught Obito to remember all the names of the Bijuu. It was strangely popular out in the countryside.

_"__One, "Sleep is better than humans,"_

_says Shukaku._

_Two, Burning in fire, Matatabi._

_Three, Leave the water to Isobu."_

Kakashi had tensed at the mention of the three tails, but Obito grabbed his hands and began to spin him around in what could only roughly be considered a dance.

"_Four, Hot as lava, Son Goku._

_Five, Always on the run, Kokuo._

_Six, Taking it easy and_

_not in a hurry, Saiken._

_Seven, The flying leaf insect, Chomei._

_Eight, "Yeah!" is all it needs, Gyuki._

_Nine, "Ko-kon" cries the mighty Kurama."_

Obito could see the grin playing on Kushina's face as he spun Kakashi around the road, almost careening into the other festival goers as he belted the song.

_"__All the Tailed Beasts have_

_finally come together._

_They're a little hard,_

_but they're nice names._

_They're all splendid names._

_They're all wonderful names!"_

When he finally let go of Kakashi he was panting and out of breath but grinning so hard his cheeks hurt. Kushina had told him the song was about when the Sage of the Six Paths created the nine beasts out of the ten tails, and Obito liked it a lot.

"You're an idiot." Kakashi grumbled as he regained his composure.

"So are you! Now let's go! I want taiyaki and you're buying!"

* * *

Alternate chapter title: everything is happy and nothing hurts. Give it up for quietbun the fluff master!

Naruto sings the tailed beast song in Shippuden episode 330. It's very cute and if it isn't a children's song in Narutoverse it should be. It's on youtube here: watch?v=p3pwMQA33r8

Wow okay that took a long time to update huh? Good news is that I went through and did a bunch of editing on all of the previous chapters. I feel like they're finally starting to get cleaned up and presentable. Don't worry, I never change plot points with edits so you don't have to reread anything (unless you want).

Uploaded: 1/29/15


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